2 Bengaluru medical colleges identified as quarantine centres

Following passenger fury at a quarantine centre in the Akash Institute of Medical Sciences on Sunday, the East Point College of Medical Sciences, another quarantine centre identified by the state health department, has asked the department to send only those passengers who fall under ‘risk category B’ to be quarantined.

This quarantine centre is 26 km from the Bengaluru International Airport.

Dr Shivakumar H S, resident medical officer, East Point College of Medical Sciences, situated in Bidarahalli, Virgonagar post, told DH: “The East Point Hospital has 100 beds. We have asked the department to send only those who are under ‘risk category B’ for quarantining here. As on Monday, no category B passengers were sent to our hospital.”

MVJ Medical College and Research Hospital in Hoskote is another quarantine centre identified by the state.

Explaining why passengers of the entire flight were sent to the Akash Institute of Medical Sciences, despite being asymptomatic and below 60 years, contrary to the Government of India guidelines on risk-based classification, Dr M Manjula, district health officer, Bangalore Rural district, told DH: “Ideally, the risk-based classification has to happen at the airport. But we got a message from the Airport Health Organisation to do the classification at the quarantine centre and then send them home.

“Till Saturday, category 1 were sent to the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases, category 2 were sent to a quarantine centre and category 3, home. Only on Sunday, they asked us to take them all to Akash.”

Dr Manjula said passengers, who were well behaved till they cleared immigration, misbehaved when taken to the quarantine centre.

“We were only doing our job... Passengers refused to even wear masks,” Dr Manjula said.