Phones banned, city hospital facilitates video calls for COVID-19 patients

With mobile phones having been banned at COVID-19 wards of all hospitals, a city-based private facility has decided to allow "virtual visitations" between patients and family members.

The AMRI Hospital in Salt Lake had on Sunday facilitated video calls for 17 patients, a senior official at the facility said. "Every day, nurses at the isolation wards will approach the patients and connect them with their families over video call. The virtual visits will take place between 4:30 pm and 5:30 pm, and each patient will get around three minutes to interact with their family members," he said.

The service will soon be extended to AMRI Dhakuria and Mukundapur, too, he said, adding that "the device (tablet) is properly disinfected after every use". At another state-run hospital in the city, arrangements have been made for landline services.

Authorities at MR Bangur Hospital said they have set up GSM-based wireless local loop (WLL) phones at the COVID-19 isolation wards to help the patients connect with their near and dear ones.

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