Kolkata, May 1 (PTI) The West Bengal Health Department on Friday issued directives to private hospitals and healthcare facilities to resume normal services in a planned manner.

Ensuring the safety, protection and comfort of the medical staff engaged in such facilities needs highest priority, it said.

"There are reports that patients in need of regular critical care related to blood transfusion, dialysis, chemotherapy, owl, obstetric care, institutional deliveries, immunisation are facing hardship due to private hospitals and healthcare facilities either remaining non-functional or turning away patients out of fear of contracting COVID-19.

"Some hospitals are insisting on COVID-free certificates before allowing the patients in. This situation needs to be redressed immediately," the department said in a notification.

Failure to adhere to the directive shall make the health facilities concerned liable for penal action, it added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)