The health department is gearing up the development of infrastructure facilities in around 80 government hospitals fearing another severe attack of the Covid third wave.

Rattled by the second wave of the novel coronavirus during May-June the health department headed by chief minister Miss Mamata Banerjee will set up special critical care units (CCU) for treatment of severe Covid-19-affected
patients during the third wave. Several CCUs will be equipped with emergency life-support systems like ventilators and an adequate supply of oxygen.

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The health department has also sensitised the private healthcare units directing to increase human resource strength~mainly adequate number of resident medical officers (RMOs) and nurses.

“The private hospitals and nursing homes have been asked to increase number of RMOs and nurses according to the strength of indoor beds. We may take necessary actions if these private healthcare units mainly big hospitals do not take steps in this regard ahead of the third wave,” a health official said.

On the other hand, the health department has decided to upgrade childcare units in government hospitals. Experts associated with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and other medical institutes of excellence under the ministry of health have already pressed an alarm button saying that the children are more likely to get infected in Covid-19 third wave.

The health department has decided to make three government hospitals~B C Roy Post Graduate Institute of Paediatric Science, Calcutta National Medical College Hospital (CNMCH) and North Bengal Medical College Hospital~as hubs for the treatment of Covid-19-affected children. It has also issued guidelines on how medical treatments will be provided to affected children and infants in the three model teaching hospitals and around 90 paediatric intensive care units (PICU) and 72 neo-natal intensive care units (NICU) in the city and districts.

Affected children and toddlers aged between 90 days and 12 years showing mild and moderate Covid symptoms will be kept with their mothers in paediatric wards. Around 10,000 beds have been earmarked in different hospitals to provide treatments for these patients. Twenty per cent beds in sick neo-natal care units will be reserved for Covid-affected newborns.