BENGALURU: To bring in transparency and help attendants of Covid-19 patients to see the kind of treatment being provided to their loves ones, all State-run hospitals will have to install CCTV cameras in wards and ICUs, Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said after a meeting with experts on Monday. “All Covid hospitals have been asked to install CCTV cameras to ensure transparency.
This will reduce outsiders entry and it will help in controlling mucormycosis (black fungus). This will also ensure that the medical staff carry out their duties properly. Central control centre will handle the data in the districts,” he said. There have also been cases of assault on doctors and hence installation of CCTV cameras was needed, he said. The New Indian Express had recently published an article titled— ‘ICUs turning into info blackholes’ — which had detailed instances of attendants not getting any information from the hospitals on the condition of the patients in ICUs.
Meanwhile, commenting on the shortage of doctors in North Karnataka, the minister said the government has recruited 1,763 doctors and general practioners to strengthen the health sector in the State.
“Notification has been issued regarding direct recruitment of 1,763 doctors, 715 experts, 75 general medicine doctors, 57 general surgeons, 145 gynecologists, 40 ENT specialists, 35 dermatologists, 142 anesthesiologists, 153 pediatricians, 17 radiologists, and 1,048 general medical practitioners are being recruited. North Karnataka is facing shor t age o f doctors. Gadag, Hubballi, Belagavi, Raichur and other districts will be given priority,” the minister added.
Sudhakar further said the Union Government has allocated 1,200 MT of medical oxygen to Karnataka.