Doctors, health workers on Covid leave, hospitals’ in-patient services take a hit

KOLKATA: Many doctors and health workers across the city’s private hospitals — who had tested Covid positive last week and were forced into home isolation — are yet to return to work, making it difficult for the hospitals to keep their in-patient services, especially at the non-Covid wards, running.

Even before the first group of infected doctors and health workers could return, more have tested positive this week. Though most planned surgeries and admissions have been cancelled in the wake of a massive spread in infection, hundreds of non-Covid patients are still admitted. Some hospitals said they could soon be forced to shut down their non-Covid facilities for want of manpower.

Around 100 healthcare workers (HCW) at RN Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences (RTIICS) have tested positive in end-December and the first two days of January. “Of them, 45 have returned to work till Monday with a few still recovering. However, many more HCWs got infected from last week onwards and this constant gaps happening regularly are affecting a seamless operation. A few consultants across specialties, support doctors, DNB students in all specialties have been infected,” said RTIICS zonal head R Venkatesh. He added that patients are testing positive on their routine testing in OPD prior to surgery forcing a rescheduling of procedures.

Peerless Hospital, which has 189 non-Covid patients, is struggling to cater to them. “Many planned surgeries have been cancelled over the last one week. But we already have non-Covid patients who can’t be discharged immediately. Twenty-six of our doctors and more than 40 other staff are in home isolation,” said CEO Sudipta Mitra.

He added that coupled with the lack of doctors, the number of Covid patients has swelled to 82 and it will rise further over the next few days.

Surgeries have taken a major hit at Charnock Hospital since several surgeons and operation theatre nurses have gone into home isolation since last week. “Around 37 HCWs, including nine doctors and 17 nurses, are now in isolation. There has been a dramatic increase in Covid admissions in the last few days and a sharp drop in non-Covid patients who are avoiding hospitalisation. Doctors are falling sick,” said Charnock managing director Prashant Sharma.

Five doctors and 55 other healthcare workers of Wodlands Hospital, including nurses, are in isolation now. “We have not yet faced any issue with patient care as overall occupancy is low,” said Rupali Basu, managing director & CEO, Woodlands Multispeciality Hospital. “We have not cancelled any surgery but the elective cases have dipped by over 50%,” she added.