BENGALURU: BBMP Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta on Saturday held virtual meetings with resident welfare associations, apartment groups and companies under Nasscom Foundation, to speed up providing facilities for Covid patients. Gupta appealed to companies to help the corporation and government with oxygen concentrators.
The city needs at least 1,000 oxygen concentrators which will help 1,000-2,000 patients. The companies agreed to provide them through Nasscom Foundation at the earliest. The foundation also agreed to help Gupta with medical equipment, CCCs and other facilities, like teleconsultation and telemedicine for those in home isolation, and who need mental and emotional support.
At the meeting with citizens and RWAs, Gupta and BBMP Special Commissioner, Health, Rajendra Cholan, ironed out issues in creating CCCs in apartment complexes. Gupta clarified that CCCs are not makeshift hospitals, but centres with basic facilities providing medical assistance for the asymptomatic, or those with mild symptoms. He said: “There is no need to rush to hospitals.
There is a system in place. With 20,000 cases a day, the process of handling cases has been decentralised. Control rooms are working, there are 500 lines, waiting time is 1 to 1.5 minutes, and doctors are connected to call centres to attend to patients. Callers can give their SRFID number, BU number, mobile number or ICMR number for medical help.
For those in makeshift CCCs, the apartment can either directly connect with hospitals or station nurses, and coordinate with zonal commissioners and medical health officers for health updates and feedback.” Gupta said there are 930-odd apartment associations in Bengaluru, and if 30-50 come forward to create CCCs, it will be of great help.
Vacant apartments can also be converted into isolation centres, he said, adding that the number of testing labs is also being increased. Cholan said a discussion will be held on how triaging load can be shared with apartment associations and volunteers at the zonal level.
He said a helpdesk has been created in every private hospital, manned by a health officer and war room member who admit patients who come with SRFID or BU number, if their medical condition worsens. Patients can also get admitted with CT scan reports.