WB Doctors' Forum writes to Chief Secy, express concern over health workers testing COVID-19 positive
May 11, 2020
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], May 11 : The West Bengal Doctors' Forum on Monday wrote to Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha expressing concern regarding healthcare workers testing positive in large numbers in the state and said that all in-patient department patients (IPD) need to be tested especially those at risk, as per the requisition of the treating physician without any administrative intervention.
In the letter, the forum said that the Indian Council Medical Research (ICMR) must expedite the process in collaboration with the West Bengal government as without robust testing facilities, normalisation of all healthcare facilities "can not be resolved" across the state.
"All IPD patients need to be tested especially those at risk, as per the requisition of the treating physician without any administrative intervention. This is in view of the significant number of asymptomatic cases admitted for non-COVID illnesses testing positive," it said.
The letter mentioned the "unconfirmed data", which states that above 150 healthcare workers (HCWs) have already tested positive and several are in quarantine.
The forum claimed that the daily COVID-19 bulletin by the state is "yet to capture and represent the number of HCWs affected or in quarantine."
Drawing the state government's attention to supply problems of PPE and other logistic support to the frontline doctors, it said that availability of PPEs, N95, three-ply surgical masks, face shields, goggles, gloves, sanitisers from government stores, fair price shops for HCWs and doctors in private/single doctor establishments/polyclinics across the state need immediate notice.
