JOIN USBBMP starts triaging of Covid patients at ward level
Amidst concerns that the rapid surge in Covid cases might overwhelm the health system, the civic body is holding triaging of positive patients in almost all wards.
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta said the civic body has made arrangements for patients to be physically triaged at the ward level this time unlike in the previous outbreaks. “Mobile triaging units have been activated in every ward.”
Patients will be recommended for hospitalisation only on the basis of a medical examination, Gupta added. BBMP officials said patients will be tele-triaged first before mobile units are sent to physically examine them.
“Ward-level officials will be informed of the positive cases,” BBMP Chief Health Officer (CHO) Dr Balasundar said. “They will track patients and examine those needing hospitalisation.”
Currently, every ward has a mobile triage unit, and every assembly constituency has one physical triage centre (PTC) linked to a Covid Hospital Bed Management System (CHBMS) to enable direct bed booking.
“We have already informed the wards on the escalation matrix and proportionately additional triaging units will be deployed as and when the cases increase in the wards,” Dr Balasundar added.
Officials said this arrangement would also help determine the type of bed a patient requires — general, ICU or HDU. BBMP’s data revealed that Bengaluru had 1,849 beds available under the government quota as on Wednesday evening. Out of this, only 103 had been occupied.
Gupta said the city has a sufficient number of beds. “People need not worry about beds or oxygen shortage,” he said. “We have made arrangements to meet the surge. Since more people have been vaccinated, the number of hospitalisations should be low and, as is the case in South Africa, the duration of hospitalisation could also be less.”
Meanwhile, the government of Karnataka on Wednesday appointed a three-member task force to manage CHBMS and bed bookings under the BBMP limits. The team will be led by IAS officer Kumar Pushkar.
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