<p>Although urban primary health centres are crucial in checking the Covid outbreak at the ward level, the BBMP did not seem to prioritise their funding.</p>.<p>The civic body received the lion’s share of the funds released by the government a couple of days ago, but it has released a measly Rs 2 lakh each to the 141 PHCs in Bengaluru with several spending restrictions.</p>.<p>The civic body got Rs Rs 305 crore out of the whopping Rs 571 crore the state government released last week to tackle the rapidly spreading infection. While many anticipated that a bulk of that money would go to the PHCs to scale up testing and surveillance at the grassroots level, the civic body seems intent on clearing the dues for the contractors piling up for the past year.</p>.<p><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tag/coronavirus" target="_blank"><strong>CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL COVERAGE ONLY ON DH</strong></a></p>.<p>“The funds released by the state government will be used to clear all unpaid bills for the past one year,” BBMP Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta said. “We don’t plan to use the Rs 305 crore to launch new initiatives. It’ll be spent to clear dues for contractors, staffers and others who assisted us during the first wave of the pandemic.”</p>.<p>While releasing the Rs 2 lakh to the PHCs, the BBMP instructed the medical officers to buy PPE kits, N-95 masks, triple-layer surgical masks, sanitisers and UTM-RAT kits. It also asked them to spend on creating Covid vaccination awareness and containment measures like spraying disinfectants.</p>.<p>“The amount (allocated) gets over in less than two days,” said an official working with a PHC in the South Zone, "and even in a single day, if there are multiple containment zones. What can we do with such a (small) amount?”</p>.<p>Gupta clarified that the Rs 2 lakh is meant for petty expenses and not for the overall maintenance. “We understand that more funds will be required in the coming days,” he said. “The PHCs can ask for funds whenever they run short.”</p>.<p class="CrossHead"><strong>Contractors heave a sigh of relief </strong></p>.<p>Contractors, on the other hand, are happy to get the pending bills cleared.</p>.<p>“We have been asked to assist in containing the second wave. How can we fund the work if last year’s bills are kept pending?” asked a sanitisation contractor from the West Zone, adding that no one will turn up until the civic body clears the bills.</p>
<p>Although urban primary health centres are crucial in checking the Covid outbreak at the ward level, the BBMP did not seem to prioritise their funding.</p>.<p>The civic body received the lion’s share of the funds released by the government a couple of days ago, but it has released a measly Rs 2 lakh each to the 141 PHCs in Bengaluru with several spending restrictions.</p>.<p>The civic body got Rs Rs 305 crore out of the whopping Rs 571 crore the state government released last week to tackle the rapidly spreading infection. While many anticipated that a bulk of that money would go to the PHCs to scale up testing and surveillance at the grassroots level, the civic body seems intent on clearing the dues for the contractors piling up for the past year.</p>.<p><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tag/coronavirus" target="_blank"><strong>CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL COVERAGE ONLY ON DH</strong></a></p>.<p>“The funds released by the state government will be used to clear all unpaid bills for the past one year,” BBMP Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta said. “We don’t plan to use the Rs 305 crore to launch new initiatives. It’ll be spent to clear dues for contractors, staffers and others who assisted us during the first wave of the pandemic.”</p>.<p>While releasing the Rs 2 lakh to the PHCs, the BBMP instructed the medical officers to buy PPE kits, N-95 masks, triple-layer surgical masks, sanitisers and UTM-RAT kits. It also asked them to spend on creating Covid vaccination awareness and containment measures like spraying disinfectants.</p>.<p>“The amount (allocated) gets over in less than two days,” said an official working with a PHC in the South Zone, "and even in a single day, if there are multiple containment zones. What can we do with such a (small) amount?”</p>.<p>Gupta clarified that the Rs 2 lakh is meant for petty expenses and not for the overall maintenance. “We understand that more funds will be required in the coming days,” he said. “The PHCs can ask for funds whenever they run short.”</p>.<p class="CrossHead"><strong>Contractors heave a sigh of relief </strong></p>.<p>Contractors, on the other hand, are happy to get the pending bills cleared.</p>.<p>“We have been asked to assist in containing the second wave. How can we fund the work if last year’s bills are kept pending?” asked a sanitisation contractor from the West Zone, adding that no one will turn up until the civic body clears the bills.</p>
