BELAGAVI: Angry that the director of Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences was missing from an important meeting on tackling the Covid situation in the district, a furious Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi ordered Superintendent of Police Laxman Nimbaragi to rush out, arrest Dr Vinay Dastikop and bring him to the meeting.
Savadi was presiding over the meeting at the Zilla Panchayat Hall in Belagavi on Wednesday, reviewing the district hospital’s preparedness on beds, oxygen, medicines and vaccines. But Dr Dastikop, who was to furnish these details, was missing from the meeting. A furious Savadi went ballistic. “He could be a doctor and director of BIMS. Send forces, arrest him and bring him to the meeting,” he told SP Nimbaragi.
Dr Dastikop was immediately alerted over the phone about the situation at the meeting, and he rushed to the meeting venue within minutes. Seeing Dr Dastikop, Savadi took him to task, saying, “A big salute to you. You were missing from a crucial meeting when people are dying. The government is getting a bad name because of people like you.”
He asked Dr Dastikop about ICU and oxygenated beds available at BIMS. He questioned as to why Covid patients were not choosing to come to the hospital despite beds being available. “The government has given all the facilities, but BIMS officials are not reaching them to the people. People are looking at BIMS with suspicion and think it is a place to die,” Savadi alleged. He directed district authorities to take immediate action to improve the situation.