COVID-19 in Bengal: 3 doctors from Calcutta Medical College test positive, interns allege mismanagement, demand mass testing for all health workers

Three doctors of Calcutta Medical College and Hospital tested positive for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) on Monday. So far, seven doctors from the hospital have tested positive for COVID-19. Out of them, six are junior doctors in the hospital’s Obstetrics and Gynaecology department and an intern in the Medicine department. A patient from the Medicine department also tested positive.

The three doctors who tested COVID-19 positive on Monday were admitted to Beliaghata Infectious Diseases (ID) Hospital along with the patient from the Medicine department.

With more doctors and health professionals testing positive, interns of Calcutta Medical College expressed their grievances and alleged “mismanagement of COVID-19 suspects” by hospital authorities.

In a press release, the interns demanded “mass testing of all health workers, proper isolation of health workers in the hospital premises to prevent community spread by the health workers”.

They demanded the immediate closing of Eden Hospital, its proper fumigation and testing of all those posted there. The interns alleged that three shifts of healthcare workers, including interns, “were exposed to a COVID suspect patient without any adequate protection” in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. “Following this exposure, the authority denied quarantine facilities and testing of these contacts by framing medically incorrect case and primary contact definitions,” the press release said.

Those exposed had been asked to resume work instead. After a delay of a week and several protests, the authorities agreed to testing and promised quarantine facility. But this too, did not follow the guidelines, the interns alleged.

They said that there have been bureaucratic delays in testing of suspects in various departments of Medical College, Kolkata, and non testing leading to exposure of suspects to others. The interns have said that they find it “difficult to continue our duties in the light of gross irregularities” till the authorities take responsibility for it and offer adequate protection, prompt testing of all suspects and proper quarantine facilities for suspects.

There are 245 active COVID-19 cases in Bengal. So far, 73 persons have recovered in the state from COVID-19 while 12 deaths were reported.