<p>With the dramatic fall in Covid numbers, 91% of the beds in private hospitals reserved for government quota have fallen vacant, allowing hospitals to get back many of the beds and provide them for non-Covid services.</p>.<p>Out of the 4,772 beds given by private hospitals to municipal authorities in Bengaluru at the start of the second wave, nearly 85% are currently free, including 55% of ICU beds. In private medical colleges, out of 6,647 beds given, 96.1% (or 6,394 beds) are vacant. In all, about 10,469 out of 11,419 private sector beds are currently free.</p>.<p>The result, according to Dr R Ravindra, immediate past president of the Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (PHANA), is entire swathes of beds lying unused at hospitals across the city.</p>.<p>“While the demand for non-Covid medical services has not yet picked up in the wake of Unlock 2.0, some beds are being seized up by patients with post-Covid sequelae such as mucormycosis, Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS) in children and vascular problems,” he said.</p>.<p>BBMP Special Commissioner D Randeep said beds within the civic body’s jurisdiction under general and HDU categories will be capped at 20% and 40%, respectively, rather than 50% as per government directions. “However, the quota of ICU and ICU-ventilator (ICU-V) beds will remain the same,” he added.</p>.<p>The BBMP estimated the revised bed total to be 5,481, including 1,971 general, 2,390 HDU, 526 ICU and 594 ICU-V beds.</p>.<p>In addition, 86 hospitals with 50 beds or less will be temporarily released for private admissions, according to the government resolution, Randeep said.</p>.<p>This, however, has raised concerns in government circles due to the high mobility levels seen in the city that could trigger a surge in Covid cases.</p>.<p>Google mobility data, for example, shows that there has been a 9.5% increase in the number of people in public places in Bengaluru Urban and a 7% decline in the number of people staying at home over a seven-day period from June 11 to June 17.</p>.<p><strong>Influx into city</strong></p>.<p>“There has also been an influx of people into the city,” pointed out a senior official who did not want to be named. “We should ideally wait for the next two weeks to see if there is a surge of cases before relinquishing the beds.”</p>.<p>Randeep insists that the original government order reserving 50% beds still stands, while the BBMP has been given special instructions to release the number of beds made available under the government quota. “If there is a surge in cases, we can reclaim the beds as per the standing government orders,” he said.</p>
<p>With the dramatic fall in Covid numbers, 91% of the beds in private hospitals reserved for government quota have fallen vacant, allowing hospitals to get back many of the beds and provide them for non-Covid services.</p>.<p>Out of the 4,772 beds given by private hospitals to municipal authorities in Bengaluru at the start of the second wave, nearly 85% are currently free, including 55% of ICU beds. In private medical colleges, out of 6,647 beds given, 96.1% (or 6,394 beds) are vacant. In all, about 10,469 out of 11,419 private sector beds are currently free.</p>.<p>The result, according to Dr R Ravindra, immediate past president of the Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (PHANA), is entire swathes of beds lying unused at hospitals across the city.</p>.<p>“While the demand for non-Covid medical services has not yet picked up in the wake of Unlock 2.0, some beds are being seized up by patients with post-Covid sequelae such as mucormycosis, Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS) in children and vascular problems,” he said.</p>.<p>BBMP Special Commissioner D Randeep said beds within the civic body’s jurisdiction under general and HDU categories will be capped at 20% and 40%, respectively, rather than 50% as per government directions. “However, the quota of ICU and ICU-ventilator (ICU-V) beds will remain the same,” he added.</p>.<p>The BBMP estimated the revised bed total to be 5,481, including 1,971 general, 2,390 HDU, 526 ICU and 594 ICU-V beds.</p>.<p>In addition, 86 hospitals with 50 beds or less will be temporarily released for private admissions, according to the government resolution, Randeep said.</p>.<p>This, however, has raised concerns in government circles due to the high mobility levels seen in the city that could trigger a surge in Covid cases.</p>.<p>Google mobility data, for example, shows that there has been a 9.5% increase in the number of people in public places in Bengaluru Urban and a 7% decline in the number of people staying at home over a seven-day period from June 11 to June 17.</p>.<p><strong>Influx into city</strong></p>.<p>“There has also been an influx of people into the city,” pointed out a senior official who did not want to be named. “We should ideally wait for the next two weeks to see if there is a surge of cases before relinquishing the beds.”</p>.<p>Randeep insists that the original government order reserving 50% beds still stands, while the BBMP has been given special instructions to release the number of beds made available under the government quota. “If there is a surge in cases, we can reclaim the beds as per the standing government orders,” he said.</p>
