‘Many pvt hosps yet to set up Covid ward for children’
New variant may infect more children: Docs
KOLKATA: Sources in the Health Department claimed that various private hospitals in the city were yet to set up a separate pediatric ward for treatment of children infected by Coronavirus.
The sources added that the state Health Department would take up the matter with the private hospitals, in the wake of spiralling cases of COVID-19.
As a result, people have to largely depend on government establishments like Calcutta Medical College and Hospital (CMCH), Dr BC Roy Memorial Hospital and Chittaranjan Seva Sadan.
A private children's hospital is also there in Park Circus but it fails to cater to the rush of patients due to the dearth of beds in the current pandemic situation.
The development comes at a time when the health experts stated that the new variant would be causing more infections in children due to the mutation.
Sources in the State Health department said the matter would be taken up with the private hospitals. It was learnt that in the past few weeks some children had been infected with the virus but many of them were denied admission.
Those who managed to find a place had to get admitted in the general Covid ward of private establishments.
There were incidents, in which private hospitals tried to refuse Covid-infected children citing bed issues.
Sishu Sadan Hospital under Chittaranjan Seva Sadan and BC Roy hospital have dedicated Covid units for children but the bed capacity is not quite high. BC Roy has around 20 isolation beds while Sishu Sadan has 30 beds.
As a result, the pressure mostly remains on CMCH. As CMCH has a dedicated unit in the name of Mother and Child Hub, it has to cater to a large number of patients. Covid infected patients are also referred to the Beliaghata ID Hospital. The issue of the private hospitals having no dedicated pediatric ward for Covid patients came to the notice of the State Health department. Following a recent spike in Covid cases, most of the beds in the government hospitals are filled up.
A senior official of Calcutta Medical College said Covid infected children are mostly complaining about diarrhea while some others have respiratory issues. “It would be difficult to accommodate Covid infected children if the infection rate continues to go up as it had been in the past couple of days. During the first wave the children were not affected in large numbers. But in the second wave, as the new variant would infect more children. Coronavirus is mutating fast. All the hospitals have to increase pediatric beds in the future,” the official said.
Sources in the State Health department said the matter would be taken up with the private hospitals