Doctors' body urges Centre to reconsider revised COVID-19 discharge policy
Kolkata, May 11 () An association of doctors inWest Bengal has shot off letters to the Union health ministryand Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, making a case for a relookat the revised policy for discharge of coronavirus patientsand setting up dedicated critical care units in COVID-19hospitals of the state.
Noting that different strains of the coronavirus areprevailing across the country with non-identical morbidity andmortality profile, the Left-backed Association of HealthService Doctors (AHSD) said in its missive to Union healthminister Harsh Vardhan that the Centre's discharge guidelinescannot be uniformly exercised everywhere.
The revised discharge policy for COVID-19 casesannounced by the ministry in consulation with the IndianCouncil of Medical Research (ICMR) had said coronavirus-infected patients developing severe illness or havingcompromised immunity will have to test negative through thereverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)before being discharged by a hospital.
However, moderate cases of COVID-19 and pre-symptomatic, mild and very mild cases need not undergo testsbefore being discharged after resolution of symptoms.
"As Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi are flooded with caseswith perceived scarcity of beds and apparatus, and too highbed occupancy rate, the ICMR's recentmost discharge protocoland advisory on quarantine stay may be applicable there havingno other alternative.
"But in West Bengal and many other states wheregeographical spread is not yet established, dischargingconfirmed cases without.... sampling can't be the choice.Asymptomatics may potentially transmit the virus," the letter,dated May 10, said.
According to the previous set of rules, a COVID-19patient was considered fit to be discharged upon testingnegative on day 14 and then again in a span of 24 hours.
The AHSD urged the central government to take upstate-specific focused intervention with the ICMR.
In its communication to Banerjee, the associationvoiced concern that the coronavirus situation may spin out ofcontrol in the state if appropriate steps such as dedicatedcritical care units (CCUs) for serious coronavirus patientsare not developed in all COVID-19 hospitals.
"COVID hospitals in Kolkata and Howrah are alreadyoverflowing with patients. Reports are coming that not enoughspace is available for even properly keeping the corpses," theletter said.
While "lack of infrastructure and human resources" inthe district-level COVID-19 hospitals is worrying, "The CCUfor serious patients has not been developed in most of thehospitals except Beleghata ID and MR Bangur Hospital. Thenumber of beds in these two hospitals is limited, too," thegovernment service doctors' body said.
The association said that non-COVID services inhospitals have almost collapsed with OPDs, cancer and dialysistreatment having "practically stopped" or continuing "on ameagre scale."
The AHSD, in its letter to the Union health ministry,added that "it has been experienced that coronavirus patientswith mild symptoms or no symptoms are not encouraged for homeisolation by their family and close relatives". SUS MM SBNRBT RBT