BENGALURU: While claiming that the medical infrastructure in Bengaluru is “very good”, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta on Monday said that the rising number of cases has become a worry. “We are talking to NGOs, experts, volunteers and are asking people to come forward and help the government,” he said. Explaining the situation, Gupta told TNIE, “To augment the services, we need more doctors, paramedics and other volunteers for management of Covid Care Centres (CCCs), counselling, home isolation, contact tracing, sample collection and other services. While we are taking some on contract basis, many NGOs are also coming forward to help us.”
He said one NGO had come forward to help BBMP with 40 doctors while another NGO and a hotel had come forward to manage one CCC eacjh. “Many retired people have also expressed their willingness to help, so BBMP is looking at how they can be hired and how they can help with hospitals,” he said. All those volunteers who had registered to help BBMP last year, have once again been roped in. Their services are being used for disseminating information, contact tracing and other field activities. The deployment and assigning of volunteers has been left to the zonal officials.
“While some zones have less volunteers, others have more. So the zones can direct the volunteers to other areas also,” he explained. The volunteers are not just students, but people from all walks of life. Also, Wipro Foundation is helping BBMP with some slums and Step One has come forward to help with home isolation and mental health.
There are many others who are getting associated, but more is required. He added that talks with the government and private hospitals were also being intensified to get more beds and to open more CCC s. There are already 9,000 beds and every day, 1,000 more are being added. “Many are getting discharged too, but still there is a shortfall. So, if people stop interacting closely and maintain social distancing, then the spread of the virus will be controlled. They should understand that they should not go to large and crowded people. Then, the need for more beds will reduce,” he noted.