Adoctor in the health department of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), who had contracted Covid-19, today passed away at a city hospital. His death has led to worries in the department where top officials, Atin Ghosh and chief medical health officer Soumitra Ghosh too tested positive for the virus.

Dr Raqibuddin Ahmed, a KMC executive health officer in charge of the health initiatives in Borough 15 of the KMC, today breathed his last at a private hospital at Mukundapur near EM Bypass.

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Sources in the civic body disclosed that Dr Raqibuddin had contracted Covid-19 a week back, and was admitted in the Beleghata ID Hospital. Subsequently, for better treatment he was shifted to the private hospital at Mukundapur. His conditions began deteriorating since last night when he was provided ventilator support. He passed away today at dawn.

The KMC board of administrators’ chairman Firhad Hakim has expressed his condolences to the family of the deceased and recalled that Dr Ahmed was at the frontline for battling the pandemic.

It is to be noted that it is the second such health officer of KMC who succumbed to the disease, Earlier, another officer Dr Dibakar Das had succumbed to the disease.

The top officials of the civic body health department, Atin Ghosh, board member in-charge of the health department and the chief medical health officer (CMHO) Soumitra Ghosh too have tested positive.

In the wake of these developments, the KMC Clerk’s Union has lodged a complaint with the board chairman Firhad Hakim and with the KMC commissioner.

The general secretary of the union, Amitava Bhattacharya has alleged that previously when one KMC worker in the birth/death certificate division tested positive and subsequently died, the CMHO didn’t allow others, who came in contact with the deceased worker, to go for quarantine and spread the disease in the department. The workers in the health department are now undergoing tests for the disease and the department is being sanitised.

Meanwhile, the KMC announced that the list of containment zones in the city under its jurisdiction, have come down to seven from what was once over 40. The list mentioned the zones are at Barwaritala Road, 71/3 Canal Circular Road, 17/6A to 82/11, Sister Nivedita Road, Borobagan, Jugal Kishore Das Lane, Chetla Road and at Mansatala Lane at Kidderpore. Most containment zones are at multiple premises and one slum in Chetla. A KMC health official stated that the civic body is conducting rapid antigen tests and RT-PCR tests in all its boroughs from one to sixteen.” Testing and tracking is the key in fighting the battle against Covid-19” said the health officer