West Bengal: Community based isolation wards in New Town

KOLKATA: Elita Garden Vista housing complex in New Town has opened an isolation ward facility with oxygen support in their complex for asymptomatic or mild Covid patients.
“We have started off with four beds with oxygen support, doctors and nurses and will increase up to 10 beds by this month end. We have trained nurse in-house, tie up with doctors and nearest diagnosistic clinic and also have a dedicated medical board of resident doctors. About 20 residents volunteered to form a Covid care core group and 200 residents of the housing came forward with monetary contributions and donated goods,” said Souvik Bhattacharya of Elita Garden Vista.
“Quite a few number of housing societies in New Town are ready with the safe house infrastructure inside their complexes and all set to open the facilities in a day or two” said Samaresh Das, chairperson of New Town Forum and News (NTFN), a social welfare organization.
Health department officials said that as per the latest government guidelines, resident welfare associations may run community based isolation wards with oxygen support in their premises.
“It should be a makeshift Covid care facility that can be set up in community halls, common utility area and empty flats along with nurses or volunteers to look after those who would be in isolation. There is no need to take separate permission for setting up the isolation wards,” said an official.
In adjacent Rajarhat and Salt Lake, several club rooms are being turned into isolation units for asymptomatic and mild Covid patients. “We have already turned about 16 such club rooms as isolation centers for the Covid affected people in Duttabad area,” said a Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) official.