Odisha patients take loans to get hospitalised

THREE PERSONS in every 100 serious or hospitalised patients during the second wave banked heavily on the public sector banks to meet the expenses towards their medical care

The Covid-19 pandemic in Odisha saw that three persons in every 100 serious or hospitalised patients during the second wave banked heavily on the public sector banks to meet the expenses towards their medical care.

The magnitude of household distress that prevailed during the second wave in the state can well be gauged from the fact that Sambalpur district in western Odisha witnessed deposit outflow of over `1,000 crore during the peak period, April-May).

Business data analysis by different banks operating in Odisha shows only five districts in the country had recorded such a huge deposit outflow during the Covid-19 second wave peak, and Sambalpur is one among them. As per the data available, during the second wave peak (till June 15), Odisha saw hospitalisation of over 1.6 lakh patients. Of this, 5,522 patients had taken collateral-free loans from the public sector banks in the state, State Level Banking Committee (SLBC) sources said.

A total of 6 banks, namely, State Bank of India, Canara Bank, Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Bank of Baroda and Union Bank of India have provided a collateral-free loan facility for salaried, non-salaried and pensioner account holders.

Meanwhile, the Indian Council of Medical Research’s Regional Medical Research Centre (ICMRRMRC), Bhubaneswar on Monday began a statewide serological surveillance to estimate and compare the age specific prevalence of Covid-19 antibodies in general population and healthcare workers across the state. The survey will continue till September 20. Earlier, sero surveys included only those aged above 18 years. It is the first state-level sero survey after expansion of the vaccination drive.

“As decisions on opening of educational institutions and targeting the last mile in immunisation need to be made in near future, it is crucial to generate evidence on exposure of children and adolescents, the unvaccinated group, to the pandemic and assess the persistence of immunity among the vaccinated group, particularly the healthcare workers. Vaccination coverage against Covid-19 among general population and healthcare workers will also be estimated through this survey,” said RMRC in an official statement.