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After hard-bargaining with the private medical colleges in the State, the Karnataka government has got assurance for 6,500 hospital beds.
Additional hospital beds reserved for Covid patients in the city’s 11 private and three medical colleges have come forward. The private colleges are to provide 2,000 beds immediately and another 4,500 beds will be added within a week. The colleges have agreed to join hands with the government for treatment of covid patients, said State Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar.
Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and K Sudhakar held separate meetings with the representatives from private colleges administration and all the private medical colleges have assured to extend their support as per government decision.
There are 11 private and three government medical colleges in the city and we will get about 6,500 beds from these for Covid treatment, Sudhakar told reporters after the meeting.
These facilities including doctors and staff will be made available to the government within a week and the beds will be allocated to Covid patients through BBMP’s centralised system. Insurance facilities will be extended to the doctors and staff serving in these private hospitals also.
“Post Graduate medical students in private medical colleges and other staff will also be utilised in Covid Care Centres,” said the Minister.
The minister said that deciosns regarding treatment protocols will be taken in the meeting that will be held under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister.
Symptomatic patients, persons aged above 60 and those with co-morbidities like diabetes, hypertension and serious kidney, liver, lungs and heart related ailments will be admitted to hospitals. Other asymptomatic persons will be monitored in Covid care centres. A detailed notification with these guidelines will be released on Wednesday, said Sudhakar.
The meeting was chaired by Chief Minister and his deputy Ashwatnarayana, Home Ministers Basavaraj Bommai, Revenue R Ashoka and senior officials were also present in the meeting.
Cong raises issue of corruption
As cases began to rise, Opposition Congress party’s Siddaramaiah raised the issue that there are allegations of corruption and nepotism in the management of Covid-19 treatment.
Siddaramaiah tweeted: “Chief Minister of Karnataka should immediately constitute an all-party #CovidMonitoringCommittee to monitor treatment related issues in the hospitals. This is very much needed to increase public confidence in the backdrop of several complaints.”
Thanking the private hospitals for cooperating with the state government, Siddaramaiah said: “I welcome and thank the private hospitals for extending their support to treat Covid-19 patients.”
“I also urge @CmofKarnataka to extend insurance and other benefits to private hospital doctors, nurses and support staff.” He added: “Covid19 patients would already be in despair, and any negligence during the treatment will further demoralise them. I urge @CMofKarnataka to make the treatment protocol clear to the patients and instil hope. Don’t keep them in the dark.”
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