KOLKATA: With the number of Covid patients sliding drastically across Kolkata’s private hospitals, the latter have discontinued the compulsory use of full PPE and protective gear for their health workers in non-Covid wards that have seen a sharp rise in occupancy ever since the third wave ebbed in late-January. Several hospitals that had been levying a PPE charge has withdrawn it for non-Covid patients this week.
While use of gowns, masks, face-shields and gloves remain mandatory for doctors and nurses at Covid wards, they have been discarded everywhere else at most hospitals. Since the number of Covid patients has dropped and wards have been squeezed, the risk factor does not warrant PPE any longer, say hospitals.
At Peerless Hospital, health workers have been asked to use just masks everywhere, other than those visiting the Covid ward that now has less than 10 patients. “We have discontinued the use of face-shields, gloves and gowns in non-Covid areas since the risk is very low. Till the third wave last month, transmission was happening very quickly and almost every second person was positive. Over the last four weeks, the situation has changed and we have seen a drop in Covid patients whose number is now negligible. So, we have allowed our health workers to wear just masks at non-Covid wards that have an 80% occupancy now,” said CEO Sudipta Mitra. Peerless has withdrawn its PPE charge for non-Covid patients.
Ruby General Hospital, too, has relaxed its PPE rule for non-Covid patients since February 10. It has stopped charging for PPEs as well. Till last month, a daily charge of Rs 1,000 would be levied on all patients. “We have discontinued the use of full PPE since it’s no longer necessary. With the number of patients coming to a handful, risk of transmission is very low. Also, the infection has ebbed in the community as well,” said Ruby general manager operations Subhashish Datta.
Belle Vue Clinic internal medicine consultant Rahul Jain said it was now safe to discard full PPE gear.
If doctors so want, they are free to use full PPE gear everywhere, said Belle Vue CEO P Tondon. “There are several senior medics who have comorbidities and prefer to stick to full PPE. But we have never charged non-Covid patients for PPE,” said Tondon. Belle Vue now has 179 non-Covid patients against just two Covid patients.
RN Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences (RTIICS) has scaled down its PPE use by discarding the face-shield in non-Covid wards. “Our health workers are still using the gown, gloves and the cap everywhere, but we may soon discontinue them in non-Covid wards,” said RTIICS zonal head R Venkatesh. Number of non-Covid patients has swelled to 450 at RTIICS.
AMRI Hospitals have decided to discontinue PPEs at non-Covid wards, under the instructions of an internal expert committee. “Our healthworkers use only N95 masks at non-Covid wards while those not serving at the wards wear just surgical masks. At the Covid wards, health workers wear full PPE, including masks, gloves headgear and gowns,” said AMRI CEO Rupak Barua.
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