6,500 Covid cases per day in Bengaluru can't be ruled out: K Sudhakar

'If we do not contain the spread, we will see a further surge in cases,' Sudhakar said

Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar has said Bengaluru alone may register more than 6,500 Covid-19 cases a day based on expert predictions.

His forecast comes on a day when the state’s Covid tally breached the 5,000 mark, the highest reported on a single day, with Bengaluru contributing over 3,700 cases.

"If we do not contain the spread, we will see a further surge in cases. There is a need to increase Covid reserved beds in Victoria and Bowring hospitals. Also, there is a need to increase the percentage of beds reserved in private hospitals for Covid treatment from the existing 20%," the minister said.

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As for beds in Bengaluru, the government on Sunday issued a circular asking private hospitals to reserve 20% of their beds for government quota Covid patients.

A BBMP official requesting anonymity said: "Overall, there are 10,000 beds in medical colleges in the city, and 14,000 in private colleges. We have asked for 20% of these beds to be reserved for government quota Covid patients. But, in all, they are giving us only 2,500 beds over the existing 1,200 beds already allotted to government quota Covid patients."

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As many as 331 private hospitals attended the meeting with the BBMP on Sunday apart from 12 medical colleges. Of 325 beds in five government medical colleges, only six are vacant, as per the BBMP Covid Hospital Bed Management System.

Similarly, while government hospitals have 175 bed vacancies, 158 are available in private medical colleges. The government hospitals and medical colleges are housing 993 Covid patients and private medical colleges are treating 94 patients under the government quota.

Asked why patients are referred to private medical colleges when government hospitals have vacancies, the BBMP official quoted above said: "At least 50 patients are from Bangalore Rural district who have approached us with a letter from Bangalore Rural district deputy commissioner."

"For example, if there is no ICU bed or a ventilator in Devanahalli Government Hospital, it is easier to shift the patient to Akash Medical College, a private medical college, than to a vacant ICU bed in KC General Hospital in Malleswaram. That is why despite having vacant government beds, in emergency situations, we have to shift them to private facilities but bear the cost under the government quota," the official said.