State commission fears COVID spurt in festive season, proposes session with healthcare units in West Bengal

The state’s health regulatory commission plans to hold a meeting with all the private hospital officials on Monday (October 12) to understand if they are ready for a surge in critical COVID patients during the festival season. If the meeting is held, hospitals will seek the regulatory commission’s assistance for uninterrupted services, which is essential for COVID treatment.

Kolkata: The state’s health regulatory commission has asked private hospitals if they are ready for a surge in critical COVID patients during the festival season.

The chairperson of the West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission on Friday (October 9) posted a voice message in a closed WhatsApp group of private hospital representatives, in which he says that an increase in the number of critical cases is anticipated.

The state’s health regulatory commission plans to hold a meeting on Monday (October 12) to discuss the preparedness.

On Friday, the state’s chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay held a meeting with commission chairperson Banerjee and health secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam to discuss the preparedness of both government and private hospitals during the Pujas, a government official said.

“Along with the private sector, we have asked government hospitals to enhance their services in the festive season. Everyone knows this Puja. It’s a different situation,” the official said.

Officials of some private hospitals said it would be difficult for them to increase general beds in their hospitals but they would try to create more critical care beds because there would be more demand for ICU beds for COVID patients in the festival period.

If the meeting is held, hospitals will seek the regulatory commission’s assistance for uninterrupted services, which is essential for COVID treatment, officials of some hospitals said.