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Birth pangs for Covid-19 physical triage centres

Any Covid patient walking into the centre will be evaluated by a team of doctors to decide on the next line of treatment or admission to hospitals
Last Updated 19 May 2021, 06:12 IST

Five days after the BBMP opened 32 physical triage centres and publicised the phone numbers of the nodal officers and the hotlines, DH could not reach eight nodal officers.

As part of the reality check, DH reporters tried speaking to the nodal officers, eight of whom did not respond to multiple calls. Though three nodal officers had been replaced, we could not find updates on new nodal officers and their contact details.

The triage centres were opened on Friday to solve the hospital bed crisis and to detect critical cases at the initial stage. Any Covid patient walking into the centre will be evaluated by a team of doctors to decide on the next line of treatment or admission to tertiary care hospitals for advanced treatment.

But five days after the centres were opened, not many patients have turned up for triaging, though the city has been reporting more than 8,000 new infections a day. Two of the 32 triage centres are yet to be functional.

The nodal officer at the Maternity Home in Palace Guttahalli (West Zone) confirmed that the hospital does not provide any triaging facility and had to be removed from the list.

Similarly, a triaging centre at a badminton court in Kumaraswamy Layout is yet to be operational. “We may need another two or three days for the facility to be set up and become functional,” the nodal officer said.

BBMP officials said the five triage centres in the West Zone triaged only 31 patients on Sunday. In the South Zone, where seven centres function, about 105 patients have been walking in on a daily basis. “On average, we get about 15 patients a day for triaging in each of the centres in the south zone,” said Dr Shivakumar, Health Officer, South Zone, BBMP.

Though some nodal officers did not respond to our phone calls, marshals at all triage centres responded to SOS calls and replied to queries placed through the hotline.

A triage centre set up at the Shantinagar Maternity Home that started three days ago has triaged only nine patients so far. “The first day, we hardly saw any patients but queries,” said Dr Jyothi, a nodal officer at the centre. The nodal officers at the HAL and North Eastern Girls’ Hostel on the Jnananharathi campus said they only received eight to ten patients a day for triaging.

Senior BBMP officials said that the footfall had been gradual. “If you compare the first day with today’s records, you’ll notice a gradual increase in the walk-ins. At least the number of queries has gone up exponentially. These’ll translate into increased patients,” said Dr Ramesh, the nodal officer at the Mangala Raitha Bhavan triage centre.

BBMP Special Commissioner D Randeep said the civic body would ask the patients to call the hotline in future. “We’ll publish a fresh notification in the newspapers on Wednesday. The nodal officer’s number is usually the permanent officer at the hospitals,” he said. “But from now on, the marshals will handle the hotline and coordinate with the doctors.”

Nodal officers who didn’t respond

1) Dr B R Ambedkar Medical College, East Zone

2) Rajajinagar Maternity Home, West Zone

3) Wilson Garden Maternity Home, South

4) Karmika Bhavan, Dasarahalli

5) OYO Navya International Hotel, Vijinapura, Mahadevapura

Those who didn’t respond well

1) Zinc Hotel, Chennasandra Main road.

(The officer said the facility is only for asymptomatic patients.)

Not fully operational

1) Government Boys’ Arts College, Primrose Road

(Work is still in progress but patients can walk in for triaging.)

Cancelled

1) Maternity Home, Palace Guttahalli. (Facility has been cancelled as a triage centre and removed from the list.)

Not operational

1) Shuttle Court, Kumaraswamy Layout

Opened on May 18

1) Hosakerehalli Maternity Home

2) Octavla hotel, Mahadevapura

Officers replaced. New ones didn’t respond

1) Govipuram Guttahalli Maternity Home, Basavanagudi

2) Vidyapeeta Medical and Engineering Hostel

Officers not in charge

1) Basava Bhavan, Bommanahalli

2) HAL, KR Puram

Officer changed

1) Government Pre-matric Girls’ Hostel, Yelahanka.

Number not reachable

1) University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK

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(Published 18 May 2021, 19:45 IST)

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