No need to visit hospital during lockdown: 'Doctors on call' service launched in Howrah
A 'Doctors on Call' service during lockdown was launched at a government hospital in Howrah district of West Bengal on Tuesday. Other hospitals in rural Howrah arealso in the process of launching the same service.
FollowKolkata: If you are in Howrah district of West Bengal, there is no need to go to the hospital during the extended lockdown, unless you are seriously ill. The hospital will come to your door. Physicians will provide necessary advice to patients over telephone during lockdown 2.0. A 'Doctors on Call' service has been started at a government Hospital in Howrah district of West Bengal. Other hospitals in rural Howrah are also in the process of launching the same service.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the lockdown deadline has been extended till May 3. COVID-19 spread couldn't be slowed down to a halt with a 21-day lockdown. There is no public transport and ambulance services are also hit. The situation is such that if people suddenly become ill, they could not even be taken to hospital. Also, doctors think it is unwise for patients to gather in hospitals right now.
So, what do people do if they need medical assistance? To solve this, the doctors at Mugkalan Block Hospital in Howrah's Bagnan have launched the 'Doctors on call' service. Vinay Roy, health official of the Bagnan block number two, said “Doctors will give advice to patients and callers over telephone. Nobody needs to come to the hospital. If needed, we may send Asha workers to the patient's home. And, if and only if, that doesn't work, the patient will be brought to hospital and treated accordingly”. The 'Doctors on Call' service will be available daily from 9 am to 12pm and 6pm to 9pm.
There are only 12 beds in the Mugkalan Block Hospital. But people from seven panchayat areas of Bagnan, and even from neighbouring Shampur depend on this hospital for any medical need. Most of them are BPL (Below the poverty level) card holders. Suman Chakraborty, BDO of Bagnan Block 2, has assured all administrational cooperation to ensure that all of them get proper services.
