State forms special team to treat Covid patients in N Bengal

MP | 12 July 2020 | Kolkata: With an aim to check deaths due to comorbidities among the COVID-19 affected patients in North Bengal, the state Health department has formed a special team consisting of eight superspecialist doctors who will provide treatment at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital and Siliguri's COVID hospital. 

The step has been taken after the Health department found that almost all the patients who died of COVID so far in North Bengal had various comorbidities. These patients did not survive because they had various other ailments. 

As a result, the department is now trying to ensure that expert doctors address the comorbidities issues of the elderly patients. The patients did not die only because of COVID but they had many other ailments which led to their death, observed the doctors at the COVID hospitals. 

The health department has already instructed all the hospitals across the state which have been treating COVID patients to stress upon the comorbidities issues of the corona patients to reduce the mortality rate. Guidelines have been issued by the health department in this regard. Almost 81 per cent of the total deaths across the state happened due to comorbidity issues which are mostly hypertension, diabetes, cardiac diseases, chronic kidney disease (CKD) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The special team includes neurosurgeon, orthopedic surgeon, critical care specialist and psychiatrist and other expert doctors. 

The team will treat those COVID affected patients who would require superspecialty treatment. The special team of doctors will also provide assistance to other doctors at the two hospitals. 

The district health officials felt the need of constituting an expert team of doctors during a review meeting last month. The health officials carried out an assessment and found that the patients died in the hospitals mainly because of the comorbidities. After getting clearance from the health department the district health officials formed the special team. A similar team of expert doctors may also be formed in Malda who will cover the adjoining districts.

(Courtesy, source- Millenium Post- http://www.millenniumpost.in/kolkata/state-forms-special-team-to-treat-covid-patients-in-n-bengal-412615)