Three pregnant women admitted at the KPC Medical College and Hospital at Jadavpur have contracted Covid-19 infections with their swab samples testing positive for the coronavirus in the laboratory.
The state health department has, however, not yet confirmed anything about the three women testing positive for Covid-19. The hospital authorities have decided to send around 40 doctors, nurses and other support staff, who came in close contact with them, to quarantine.
With the regular spurt in number of Covid-affected health workers in different government and private hospitals in Bengal, the Centre has also expressed concern to the alarming situation. Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla in his letter to the state chief secretary Rajiva Sinha has asked the latter to take measures to prevent coronavirus infections among doctors and nurses in the state.
On Wednesday, Mr Bhalla had written a strong letter to Mr Sinha criticising Bengal government’s Covid management and control process saying that the state has recorded more than 12 per cent coronavirus mortality rates. Hardly, four days ago, six pregnant women undergoing treatment at the state-run N R S Medical Hospital’s maternity ward were also found Covid-19 positive.
On 2 May, seven patients, including six pregnant women at N R S Medical College and Hospital ~ that accommodates the highest number of indoor beds in the state ~ were found carriers of the coronavirus. Doctors attending to these women have been advised for Covid confirmatory tests after the latter showed symptoms of the dangerous viral infections.
Several weeks ago the medicine and gynaecology wards at the hospital had also been closed for sanitisation after two patients admitted to the two wards respectively were found coronavirus positive. Management of the Peerless Hospital has already closed down healthcare services from 5 May till sanitisation work in the entire hospital complex is been completed.
Services in maternity, dialysis, laboratory, radiology and chemotherapy units will remain normal.