RLS Training Program:

This was an initiative of Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of West Bengal as a 19 Pandemic Preparedness Plan (PPP) to combat COVID-19.

The initiative was launched to train clinicians to effectively manage COVID-19 patients in stand-alone COVID Hospitals designated by the Government of West Bengal and to deal with large number of affected patients.

Objectives of the Initiative: 

• Making the critical care and acute care units of the State Government Hospitals with large number of ventilators and other life-saving equipment and drugs effectively functional by deploying trained clinicians, nurses, and paramedics to make them operational.
• Creating trained manpower to tackle COVID-19 mass-casualty.
• Rendering effective management to patients affected with COVID-19, by providing timely and appropriate acute care management.
• Imparting Training to the MOs on Ventilator Operation in CCUs and HDUs across the State required for treatment of critically ill COVID-19 positive patients.
• Render effective management to patients suffering from COVID-19 by providing timely appropriate acute care management.

Features of the Initiative:

• 439 Medical Officers including a few PGTs, posted in CCU and HDU of Government Hospitals across the state were successfully trained.
• The candidates for training were nominated by the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of West Bengal.
• The clinicians who were already posted in the critical care and high-dependency units of the major state general hospitals and medical colleges were selected for this hands-on training.