Lok Sabha Question No. 2012 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-07-30
Subject: COVID Hospitals
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Locket Chatterjee

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED Q. No 2012 TO BE ANSWERED ON 30 th JULY, 2021

## COVID HOSPITALS

## 2012 MS. LOCKET CHATTERJEE :

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state

- ( a) whether the Government has set up COVID Hospitals in the state of West Bengal, if the details thereof, district - wise;
- ( b) whether Government has prepared any special strategy to fight COVID - 19 pandemic in small villages of West Bengal, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons there
- ( c) whether  the  Government  has  received  requests  for  these  villages  to  send  design special teams to fight COVID - 19; and
- ( d) if so, the details thereof and the action taken by the Special Team thereon?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (DR. BHARTI PRAVIN PAWAR)

- (a) to (d) Although Health is a state subject, Government of India has provided the requ technical  support  and  has  also  supported  the  states  through  logistic  and  financial  su further strengthen the existing health infrastructure to tackle COVID - 19 pandemic.

Some of the ongoing initiatives to further strengthen healthcare infrastructure include:

- With the intent to reduce the risk of cross infection to non - COVID  patients  as  well  as  to maintain  continuity  of  non - COVID  essential  health  services  in  the  countr y,  a  three - tier arrangement of dedicated COVID - 19  health  facilities [(i) COVID Care Center (CCC); (ii) Dedicated COVID Health Centre (DCHC) and (iii) Dedicated COVID Hospital (DCH)] has been implemented in the country.

- The isolation bed capacity and ICU b ed capacity which was only 10,180 and 2,168 before the first lockdown (as on 23 rd March 2020) in being enhanced continuously and is currently at 18,02,949 isolation beds and 1,24,514 ICU beds (as on 28 th July 2021). Further, d istrict wise details of dedicated COVID facilities as reported by state government of West Bengal o COVID India Portal (data as on 28 th July 2021) is at Annexure .
- Government of India, to supplement the hospital facilities has roped in tertiary care under ESIC, Defence, Railways, paramilitary forces, Steel Ministry etc. Further, many la temporary  treatment  facilities  were  established  by  DRDO  to  manage  surge  in  COVID - 19 cases in the country.
- During  the  F.Y.  2019 -20.  funds  to  the  tune  of  Rs.1113.21  crore  was  released  to the States/UTs under NHM towards management and containment of COVID - 19 pandemic. Of this Rs. 44.53 Crore was released to Government of West Bengal in 2019 -20.
- In September 2020, the Union Government further allowed use of SDRF by the States f oxygen  ge neration  and  storage  plants  in  hospitals;  strengthening  ambulance  services transport of patients; and setting up containment zones, COVID - 19 care centres. States were allowed to spend maximum 35% of annual allocation of funds under SDRF for the financi al year 2019 - 20. The ceiling was further enhanced to 50% during the financial years 2020 - 21 and 2021 - 22 for containment measures of COVID - 19.
- During  the  FY  2020 - 21,  funds  to  the  tune  of  Rs.8257.88  crore  has  been  released  to  t States/UTs towards the India COVID - 19  Emergency Response and Health System, of this Rs. 295.28 Crore was released to Government of West Bengal in 2020 - 21.
- In addition, 'India COVID - 19 Emergency Response & Health System Preparedness Package: Phase II' has also been approved by the Cab inet with Rs 23,123 crores (with Rs. 15,000 Cr as Central Component & Rs 8,123 Cr as State component) and is to be implemented from 1 st July 2021 to 31 st March 2022.

It includes support to State/UT level for ramping up Health Infrastructure including e in rural, tribal and peri - urban areas closer to the community, providing support for procuremen of drugs and diagnostics to enhance service delivery at district and sub district management of COVID-19 cases (including pediatric care) and for maintaining a buffer of drugs,  support  for  IT  Interventions  such  as  implementation  of  Hospital  Manageme Information System and expanding access to tele - consultations in all districts, and support for capacity building and training for all aspects of mana gement of COVID- 19.

Ministry  of  Health  &  Family  Welfare  continues  to  provide  technical  guidance  for  manag various aspects of COVID - 19. So far more than 150 guidelines/advisories/SoPs/plans have been provided to States/UTs. Taking note of ingress of COVI D - 19 pandemic in peri - urban and rural areas, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare on 16 th May 2021 issued an SOP on COVID - 19 Containment & Management in Peri - urban, Rural & Tribal areas.

Multi - disciplinary Central teams have been deployed to the state of W est Bengal in the months of  May  2020,  June  2020  and  February  2021  to  assist  state  health  department  in  COVID - 19

control and containment measures. The observations and recommendations of the teams we shared with the state health authorities. The primary r ecommendations highlighted the need for further  enhanced  focus  on  ongoing  management  approach  of  test - track - treat - vaccinate  and COVID appropriate behavior with need for effective containment measures as well as improv the pace of COVID vaccination.

Annexure state government of West

## District wise details of dedicated COVID facilities as reported by Bengal on COVID India Portal (data as on 28 th July 2021)

| S. No.   | District Name      |   Dedicated COVID Hospital |   Dedicated COVID Health Center |   Dedicated COVID Care Center |
|----------|--------------------|----------------------------|---------------------------------|-------------------------------|
| 1        | 24 Paraganas North |                         34 |                               4 |                            21 |
| 2        | 24 Paraganas South |                         11 |                               8 |                           148 |
| 3        | Alipurduar         |                          4 |                               4 |                           161 |
| 4        | Bankura            |                          7 |                               5 |                            41 |
| 5        | Birbhum            |                          8 |                               4 |                            13 |
| 6        | Coochbehar         |                          9 |                               1 |                            47 |
| 7        | Darjeeling         |                         10 |                               4 |                             6 |
| 8        | Dinajpur Dakshin   |                          4 |                               1 |                            20 |
| 9        | Dinajpur Uttar     |                          4 |                               1 |                            38 |
| 10       | Hooghly            |                         12 |                               4 |                            12 |
| 11       | Howrah             |                         13 |                               3 |                            29 |
| 12       | Jalpaiguri         |                          5 |                               3 |                            37 |
| 13       | Jhargram           |                          5 |                               1 |                             8 |
| 14       | Kalimpong          |                          2 |                               0 |                            36 |
| 15       | Kolkata            |                         49 |                               4 |                            35 |
| 16       | Maldah             |                          3 |                               2 |                            43 |
| 17       | Medinipur East     |                          9 |                               3 |                            13 |
| 18       | Medinipur West     |                          9 |                               4 |                            19 |
| 19       | Murshidabad        |                          7 |                               5 |                            40 |
| 20       | Nadia              |                         12 |                               1 |                            23 |
| 21       | Paschim Bardhaman  |                         10 |                              23 |                           130 |
| 22       | Purba Bardhaman    |                          5 |                               1 |                            66 |
| 23       | Purulia            |                          5 |                               2 |                            26 |
|          | Total              |                        237 |                              88 |                          1012 |