Community halls inside New Town housing complexes are ready to serve as safe homes for mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic Covid patients. These micro-isolation units will have doctors and nurses attached to them with support from social welfare organizations that are already in talks with housing societies across the township to work out the details. The first such centre could start functioning as soon as the health department gives its nod.
Over the last two days, several housing societies held meetings with the New Town Forum & News (NTFN) — a New Town-based social welfare organisation that will provide support and guidance — on the need to set up such micro Covid care facilities at community halls or spaces inside complexes.
The Greenwood Sonata Apartment Owners Association is the first to have planned and set up such a facility in collaboration with New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) and NTFN. They are waiting for the state health department’s approval to start off the facility.
The housing society will launch the centre with two doctors – both residents of the complex. “We had a Covid patient in our complex who incidentally is a doctor by profession who has volunteered to join this initiative,” said Sudipta Mukherjee, president of Greenwood Sonata Apartment Owners Association.
“We are ready and will start off the facility as soon as we get the approval. As of now, we will start with five beds and two doctors, while the nurses or caregivers will be outsourced,” Mukherjee said. The housing society has about 2,000 residents.
NTFN chairman Samaresh Das said they have been planning Covid care units and are ready to assist housing complexes. “Many of the housing societies and blocks have expressed their willingness to set up such facilities within their complexes,” said Das.
“It is a splendid initiative by the local welfare associations and NGOs and we, from NKDA, are supporting them on this initiative,” said NKDA chairman Debashis Sen.
NKDA has set up a Covid war room where doctors and officials are monitoring the Covid situation in New Town and guiding the resident associations.
Debanjan Kundu, one of the two doctors involved with the Greenwood Sonata initiative and was affected by Covid, said that the facility is being set up following the government’s micro Covid facility guidelines. “The hall has an attached bathroom and separate entry and exit gates. We have planned to turn this hall into a micro Covid facility for the benefit of the residents,” he said.
Several housing societies have expressed their willingness to have such a facility in their complex and have set up teams to look into any emergency situation. “We are eager to have such a facility in our complex. We have the space and can provide infrastructure facilities,” said Subho Dasgupta, treasurer of Moonbeam Apartment Owners’ Association.
“We are eager on having such facility in our complex and discussions are on,” said Gobinda Biswas, general secretary of Sunrise Point Apartment Owners’Association.
Source: Times of India
