BENGALURU: With more COVID patients likely to require isolation if not hospitalization amid a surge in cases, three COVID care centres (CCCs) are being made ready by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike this week. These include CCCs in HAL, Koramanagala indoor stadium and Haj Bhavan.
"The CCCs in Haj Bhavan and HAL are ready with beds and required doctors. They will open on Wednesday. The Koramangala CCC is being readied and will be open on Thursday or Friday. All CCCs will house asymptomatic COVID patients," said Rajendra Cholan, BBMP Special Commissioner for Health.
While Haj Bhavan and Koramanagala indoor stadium have 250 beds each, HAL has 180 beds. The policy is to have two doctors per 100 beds. 130 staff who served in CCCs last year have agreed to come back, on the request of the Palike.
Meanwhile, a meeting was held on March 14 to discuss reopening of CCCs. Rajendra Kataria, IAS officer previously in charge of CCCs, proposed keeping three more on standby. Currently they are not required as a lot of COVID beds are available in hospitals including general beds and those with oxygen and ventilators, Kataria said.
"If the demand arises, the Ayurvedic Hospital in Majestic, Unani and Homeopathy Colleges in Magadi Road will be converted into CCCs. They were used earlier during the pandemic. Beds and staff are available and they come under the health department. These three centres have been told to be ready, if there is a need in the future," Kataria added.
Last week, Health and Medical Education Minister Sudhakar said that a 1000-bed CCC is being readied in Bengaluru but did not mention the location.
