Bengal: In Bolpur’s devoted Covid facility, overworked workers, concern of beds working out

Around 10 am on April 28, a truck stuffed with oxygen cylinders drives in by way of the gates of Glocal Hospital, a devoted Covid-19 facility in Bolpur city.
Unlike Delhi and Mumbai, cities which have witnessed a scramble for oxygen, Bolpur — and far of Bengal — haven’t confronted an issue of provide but because the nearest oxygen plant is at Suri in Birbhum. Besides, oxygen additionally comes from an oxygen plant in Durgapur in West Burdwan district.
But amid a steadily climbing second Covid graph, there are different considerations increase, starting with a scarcity of hospital beds and healthcare professionals.The 80-bed hospital — arrange final 12 months as the primary devoted Covid-19 facility in all of Birbhum — already has 90 sufferers, together with a number of within the Critical Care Unit. There are eight docs working around the clock, together with 40 nurses.
“Our doctors and nurses have been getting the infection despite being vaccinated. I don’t know if I will get a bed for myself here if I get infected,” stated Assistant Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) of Bolpur Sub-division, Asish Mondal, who’s now in command of the Glocal Hospital.
Bolpur, a Tier 3 city in West Bengal’s Birbhum district, is over 160 km from Kolkata. In 2020, as instances started climbing, the state authorities transformed Glocal Hospital, the largest within the city, right into a devoted Covid facility.
While Glocal is the one Covid facility, Bolpur has a number of different hospitals, together with the 125-bed Bolpur Subdivisional Hospital, the 50-bed Pearson Memorial Hospital and the 60-bed Bolpur Block PHC, which have been taking in Covid sufferers in small numbers.
Mondal says that whereas there isn’t a scarcity of oxygen, discovering cylinders has been a problem.

With Birbhum sharing a border with Jharkhand, Mondal says about 10 to fifteen per cent of the sufferers are from the neighbouring state. “We also get patients from every corner of this district. We are doing our best to ensure that they get all facilities,” stated the physician, including that if affected person numbers rose any additional, they must referred to different hospitals.
The numbers, say well being officers, may also rely upon how the vaccination drive pans out. So far, Bolpur city, which has a inhabitants of 80,210 (as per the 2011 Census) has been finishing up vaccinations for about 400 individuals on a each day common at two vaccination centres — the Bolpur Sub-divisional Hospital and Bolpur PHC.
About 4 km from Glocal Hospital, exterior the Bolpur Primary Health Centre, is a queue of round 300 individuals, some ready since 5 am for a dose of the vaccine.
“Please put my name on the list. I have been standing here since early morning,” stated a lady in her fifties, mistaking this correspondent for a well being official.
Kalyan Sarkar, 62, who’s right here for his first dose, says, “There is no clarity on when we will get the vaccine. No one gives out any information. We heard that 200 people got vaccines yesterday so we have come today.”
Somewhat after 10 am, a door is opened and round 50 persons are taken inside for vaccination.

At the Bolpur Sub-divisional Hospital, Hospital Superintendent Buddhadev Murmu stated, “On an average, we have been vaccinating 150 people per day. We have also been conducting 175 to 200 tests a day.”
Himadri Kumar Ari, Birbhum District CMOH and the nodal individual dealing with Covid-19 issues within the district, stated the district administration is guaranteeing that hospitals don’t run out of oxygen in occasions of disaster.
“We have got hold of a large oxygen cylinders. The supply of oxygen is stable. We need the cooperation of all people to tide over this crisis,” he stated, including that the state authorities has introduced that an oxygen plant shall be arrange on the Bolpur Sub-divisional Hospital.