In some respite, Bengaluru will get an additional 1,135 beds from private medical colleges for Covid-19 treatment.
This was the outcome of a meeting that Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Revenue Minister R Ashoka (in charge of overseeing availability of beds) and Health Minister K Sudhakar held with private medical colleges in the city.
The colleges were earlier directed to hand over 75 per cent of their beds for Covid-19 treatment. However, about 6,034 beds were given until now and the rest was pending. Now, the remaining 1,135 beds will be added over the next 3-4 days. "This will include 342 general beds, 55 HDU beds, 103 ICU beds and 38 ICU ventilators," Ashoka said.
With a high demand for oxygen beds, the state government has sought to incentivise private hospitals for upgrading beds. The government will reimburse 75 per cent of the cost if the hospitals add oxygen beds, Bommai said.
To ensure efficient use of beds allotted to the government for Covid management, a KAS officer will monitor the situation in each private hospital. There will be one senior official for every five hospitals to monitor that all the beds reserved under government quota are being used efficiently. The government is also planning to create 5,000 step-down hospitals and will take over rooms in hotels near to hospitals for this purpose, Bommai added.
Further, the government is making efforts to increase Covid-19 staff.
Final-year MBBS and nursing students will be roped in for pandemic duty. In order to incentivise them, the government is considering special allowance and credits in their courses. They will be considered as corona warriors and accorded priority in vaccination, Sudhakar said. "The government will also provide risk allowance to all those involved in Covid-related work," he added.
As for getting additional vaccine supplies, Sudhakar said the government was in touch with the Centre. "Now, we have stock of about 5 lakh doses. So far, we have administered more than 1 crore doses. The government has ordered 2 crore doses of vaccine and we are expecting to receive one more consignment by May 15," he said.
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