• A virtual session on how they radically transformed the healthcare system to treat COVID and Non COVID patients

Medica Group of Hospitals, the largest private hospital chain in Eastern India, hosted its first COVID-19 virtual discourse, highlighting, the subject – “Adopt the new normal – Let’s work together and build a safe and healthy future”. Dr Alok Roy, Chairman of Medica Group of Hospitals and Chair -FICCI Health Services Committee enlightened viewers on how private hospitals should prepare to treat both COVID as well as non COVID patients. Sharing their experiences, the COVID Warriors, doctors, who have been front liners, were other panelists, Dr. Tanmay Banerjee, who spoke about ‘Defining COVID, Challenges and Outcome’, Dr. Amitabha Saha, made a ‘Clinical presentation on Triaging and Imaging’, Dr. Aviral Roy, highlighted the ‘Management and Myths surrounding COVID-19’ on behalf of the Medica Kolkata Critical Care team and Dr. Prashanta Behera, Head of Critical Care medicine from Tata Steel Medica Hospital at Kalinganagar, Odisha, shared his experience of handling positive patients successfully.. 

The hour-long session took the viewers through clinically oriented topics ranging from defining the disease to the technicalities of managing COVID positive patients. On this virtual session, Dr. Alok Roy shared Medica’s overall journey in dealing with the current pandemic crisis. He stated, “We are treating COVID patients in six of our hospitals. Over 630 COVID positive patients have passed through our three hospitals in Kolkata, Kalinganagar and Gopalpur. We would sincerely like to offer our gratitude to the West Bengal Government for allowing Medica to test and treat COVID 19.” Speaking on the infrastructural & operational changes Dr Roy commented, “While Medica Group of Hospitals is treating COVID positive patients we are also curing non COVID critical patients equally. On an average our occupancy goes up to 47 beds for COVID patients. We are also offering tele-referral system to reduce consultant entry into COVID wards and teleconsultation service to reduce volume of physical OPDs.”

The classical CT (Computed Tomography) findings and the importance of CT imaging in the cohort of COVID patients were explained by the doctors. The intricacies of various drug combination along with their efficacies and limitations were also highlighted during the webinar. 

Dr. Aviral Roy, Consultant, Critical Care, Medica Superspecialty Hospital, shared few of the salient features of the COVID -19 virus, conveyed, “Corona Virus is the successor of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) which evolved in 2003 from China. This virus spreads primarily via respiratory droplets over 1.8m (6 feet). In 

early stage as the virus is of high compliance, we are using FiO2 (Inspired Oxygen Fraction) over PEEP (Positive end-expiratory pressure) during mechanical ventilation for better treatment. In Medica we are providing ARDS Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome) dose steroids and Hemofiltration system for providing better immunity to the COVID patients.”

Dr. Tanmoy Banerjee, added “The last two and a half months have been challenging for all of us. We have learnt and grown together in our endeavour to better serve our patients while keeping our healthcare workers safe. The constantly changing guidelines and new studies have kept us on our toes. We are getting 60:40 male and female ratio COVID patients at our hospital. We have already discharged 64 COVID patients.”

The clinical session was followed by a segment on the experience of Tata Steel Medica Hospital, Kalinganagar in Odisha.

Dr. Prashanta Behera, Head of Critical Care medicine from Tata Steel Medica Hospital at Kalinganagar added, “Tata Steel Medica Hospital has been designated by the Odisha government as a COVID hospital and is the only one in the Jajpur district. 170 COVID positive patients have been treated till date with 87 having been discharged so far. We applaud the hard work of the team at Kalinganagar that is bravely taking the COVID-19 crisis head on.” 

The virtual session was ended by Dr. Alok Roy who shared important foresights not to underestimate the disease. Medica has been successful in transforming major infrastructural changes that made to keep the hospital safe for both COVID and non-COVID patients. No frontline warriors have been affected by COVID 19 at Medica.   Additional sinks for hand washing, a fever clinic and thermal scanning facilities were set up as early as February. COVID beds were created and increased to meet the demand, with entire wards being put under negative pressure. Dr. Roy acknowledged the COVID Warriors who worked tirelessly to stay abreast with the everchanging norms, making the hospital safe for all kinds of patients. He concluded the session by delivering the message that being prepared is the only way to survive this crisis. This is the new way of life and together, we will strive to make the world safe again.