Health department for making RT-PCR test process better

SNS, SILIGURI, 14 MAY 21 : With a view to expediting collection of samples for RT-PCR tests, especially for serious Covid-19 patients, the state health department has issued a notification that orders immediate triaging of samples.

RT-PCR is considered the standard and high-reliability diagnostic test for Covid-19.

In an advisory issued yesterday, the department also underlined that the laboratories concerned will have to give "utmost priority" to triaging emergency samples.

Health department officials acknowledged that treatment of Covid-19 patients is getting delayed because of a delay in getting RT-PCR test results.

"Henceforth, while collection of samples with SRF id generation at the collection point for such serious patients, immediate triaging of samples to be done in a properly labeled sample collection box with necessary measures to transport the same for urgent processing in the concerned labs," the advisory reads.

"Whereas, in the present situation of ongoing pandemic it has become extremely important to act in a specified manner, especially while collecting RT-PCR testing samples with the present increasing demand for testing," it adds.

"Whereas, this has become extremely important to expedite the process from collection of RT-PCR Covid- 19 testing samples to report generation of clinically unstable patients for quick medical intervention," it further says.

Medicine protocol check drive

Protocol monitoring teams of the health and family welfare department are visiting hospitals to check whether Covid-19 treatment protocol is followed, especially while prescribing medicines.

According to health department officials, there are reports of many hospitals, especially a section of private health facilities, that have been prescribing rampantly a key drug widely used for the treatment of Covid-19 patients, remdesivir, and also other drugs like tocilizumab, without following the state government protocol.

"Overuse of medicines is a generaI tendency, while the side effects are not being considered in many cases, which may ultimately prove fatal for the patients. In order to address this issue, we have issued a protocol for use. Our protocol monitoring teams are visiting hospitals to see if protocols are being followed and also to ensure building up capacity for protocol based treatment," said the director of health services, the department of health and family welfare, West Bengal government, Dr Ajoy Chakraborty.

There are allegations that some private hospitals are asking family members of patients to collect drugs like remdesivir and tocilizumab. The family members are running from pillar to post to manage the drugs and paying higher prices even if they manage to get hold of them.

Though Dr Chakraborty said drug control inspectors were taking steps against the hoarding of oxygen and essential drugs, in most of the cases, family members were not getting the desirable results.

The department had issued an advisory on both the drugs on 3 May that stated, "To streamline the allocation of the drugs to various private COVID Hospital/Nursing Home, the companies shall allocate this drug on the basis of CCU bed strength and rate of occupancy of CCU beds of that hospital. This drug will be sold by the companies only to the COVID Hospital/ Nursing Home and will not be sold to the individual patient against doctors/ hospital prescriptions."

"Allocation to the Government COVID Hospital will be done by the CMS on availability of Remdesivir and on the basis of the CCU bed strength of the hospital and occupancy rate of the CCU beds," it reads.

The advisory further says that similar allocation will be followed for tocilizumab and any other special medicine for the treatment of Covid-19.

Dr Chakraborty said the advisory had been issued so that black marketing of those medicines could be averted.

Congress against black-marketing

Meanwhile, the Congress has demanded that the administration take urgent steps against alleged black marketing of Covid- 19 medicines and oxygen by a section of private nursing homes.

The party said a committee should be set up to prevent such black marketing.

State Congress working president and former MLA Sankar Malakar today met Darjeeling district magistrate S Ponnambalam and discussed the demands.

Mr Malakar said the fee structure for Covid-19 treatment in the private nursing homes should also be set right and that the treatment facility should be upgraded in government-run Covid-19 facilities.

"We are also demanding that the number of beds be augmented in both government and private hospitals because many Covid-19 patients are turned away in lack of beds," he said.

21 Covid patients die

Fifteen persons undergoing treatment for Covid-19 died in the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in the past 24 hours, sources said. Sources said that two more died in two private nursing homes, while four more died in the Siliguri district hospital.

Darjeeling district records 509 new cases

Darjeeling district recorded 509 new Covid cases today, sources said. The Siliguri Municipal Corporation, including areas under Jalpaiguri district, counted 407 cases.

Ninety cases were found in Matigara Block, 38 in Naxalbari, 16 in Phansidewa, 15 in Darjeeling Municipality, 14 in Kharibari, six each in Sukna and Takdah, three each in Kurseong Municipality, Mirik and Bijanbari, and two cases in Sukhia Pokhari.

Health department sources said 326 people had recovered in government facilities in the past 24 hours.