Bihar: Purnia Covid centre a boon for patients from peripheral areas

PURNIA: A 100-bed Dedicated Covid Health Centre (DCHC) set up on the premises of district hospital, Purnia, has proved a boon for moderate Covid patients in the district, especially at the village and panchayat-level.
Five ICUs are functional in the supervision of specialists for providing care to critical cases also.
Civil surgeon S K Verma on Monday said, “Around 30 specialist doctors, trained paramedics and other health workers, keep a tab on vital parameters of Covid patients round-the-clock.The healthcare centre has sufficient stock of life saving drugs like antiviral injections, steroids, anti-coagulants, antibiotics, vitamin C and others. Besides, oxygen is generated at Maranga plant, on the outskirts of the town, and from there it is supplied to the DCHC, through Sai distributing agency.”
All the vitals (SPO2, temperature, pulse, BP and RR) of patients are recorded in the Bead Head Ticket (BHT) in a gap of four-hour interval.
“Around 30 doctors and six technicians have been provided training to operate the ventilators. At least 38 paramedics of the DCHC had undergone training at the Bihar State Health Society at Patna,” said Dr Verma, adding, “For the disposal of bodies, the DCHC follows Covid protocol. Special sacks (body bags) are used in disposing of Covid patient's body. We have mortuary vans also for carrying the deceased.”
“Unclaimed bodies are disposed of under the supervision of circle officers (COs) or officials of Nagar Parishad level. The hospital has provided waiting space for Covid attendants and relatives also. The medical facility also makes arrangements for food to patients' kin,” he said.
"Around 404 Covid patients had been admitted to this hospital, out of which 354 patients have recovered so far,” said the civil surgeon.
Recalling the recovery of Corona patient Dr Ghulam Mustafa, who had superannuated just three months ago from the Purnia district hospital, Dr Verma, said, "It was a proud moment for us. Doctors of the DCHC did their best for the recovery of Dr Mustafa, who was co-morbid and his oxygen level had gone down alarmingly.”