BENGALURU: Private medical college hospitals in Bengaluru have agreed to reserve 50 per cent beds for treating Covid-19 patients from Sunday after their meeting with Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Saturday.
With this, the government will have an additional 5,200 beds available for treating symptomatic Covid-19 patients, while asymptomatic ones will have the option of home isolation or being sent to Covid Care Centres (CCC). Nodal officers have been appointed to monitor the availability of beds in the medical college hospitals.
“We have sufficient number of beds in the CCCs, but we required beds in hospitals for treating symptomatic patients. Now, they have agreed to give 50 per cent beds and some have even offered 100 per cent beds in their hospitals,” Revenue Minister R Ashoka told TNSE after the CM’s meeting with representatives of college managements.
No more meetings on beds issue: CM
The government will also take strict action against private hospitals refusing to reserve beds for Covid patients, the minister added. In the meeting, the CM expressed concern over some medical college hospitals not providing beds as promised during their earlier meeting and directed them to do so from Sunday as the number of Covid cases continues to surge in the state capital.
The CM is said have told the college managements that they will not have anymore meetings to discuss the same issue and action will be taken against those who fail to comply with the government directives.
Seeking their cooperation in the fight against the pandemic, the CM said, during the emergency situation everyone should respond with humanity and should not deny treatment to any patient.
He expressed concern over reports of deaths due to hospitals refusing treatment and said action will be taken against hospitals refusing treatment to Covid or non-Covid patients. Bengaluru should continue to lead the country as a role model in Covid-19 management, he said and assured the college managements of all support, including providing doctors and nurses, if need be.
In the last meeting with the CM, private medical colleges had agreed to provide around 4,500 beds, which would take the total beds available in government and private medical colleges to 6,500 beds, a note from the CMO stated. The government also decided to issue notice to Vydehi Medical College for their absence, according to a statement issued by the CMO.