Covid: BBMP plans physical triage centres across zones

Aiming to end the struggles of Covid patients in getting hospital beds, the BBMP has set up 32 physical triaging centres (PTCs) across the city.

It also notified separate rules streamlining the operations of PTCs and diagnosis of Covid patients. Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta directed zonal officials to set up the centres under three categories.

At the first level, the PTCs will be set up at the wards with the triaging facility staffed with a doctor, a paramedic and a data-entry operator in two shifts. Patients walking into the centre will be triaged and advised on the future course of action. In case the patient is hospitalised, the bed will be blocked in coordination with the zonal command centres or level-2 centres.

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The level-2 centres will be set up at key locations in various parts of the city facilitating both triaging and admission to Covid Care Centres (CCCs). "A few of these centres will also be used as stabilisation centres to attend to the patients until a bed arrangement is made at the hospital," the order stated. These centres will be manned by a pair of doctors, paramedics and data-entry operators. The civic body aims to set up 60 level-2 centres.

Mobile triage units

Besides these measures, the BBMP has also formed mobile triage units (MTUs) deploying a doctor, a paramedic and a medical student. The MTUs will visit patients who have been advised hospitalisation during tele-consultations but could not visit PTCs. Based on the triaging by the MTU staff, bed-blocking and shifting of patients will be carried out by the zonal command centres.