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Bengaluru, May 6 (IANS) With state-run and private hospitals in Bengaluru facing shortage of beds for Covid patients, a dozen private medical colleges across the city have reserved 6,034 beds in hospitals attached to them, Karnataka Health Minister K. Sudhakar said on Thursday.
"All the private medical colleges in the city have agreed to reserve 75 per cent of beds (6,034) in their attached hospitals for admitting and treating Covid patients referred by the state Health Department or the city civic body," he said in a statement here.
With the city accounting for over 50 per cent of Covid cases since the pandemic broke out in the state in mid-March a year ago, the state government ordered private hospitals to reserve 50 per cent of their beds for treating Covid patients.
"Efforts are on to get 1,135 more beds in the city medical colleges to ensure no shortage for admitting patients requiring treatment," said Sudhakar,
Mother and child hospitals attached to private medical colleges and their non-Covid emergency wings are, however, exempted.
Ruling out vaccine shortage to inoculate eligible people above 18 years of age, Sudhakar said more quantities of Covishield and Covaxin were expected to reach the state from their makers in Pune and Hyderabad soon.
"We are in touch with the Centre for its supply to vaccinate for free adults above 45 years age, senior citizens above 60 years of age, healthcare workers and frontline warriors," he said.
The state government is also procuring 2 crore vaccines from their makers to inoculate adults above 18 years free.
"Though over 1 crore eligible people have been vaccinated till date across the state, we have stock of 5 lakh doses of the anti-Covid drug to inoculate more people," he said.
As hundreds of doctors, nurses and paramedics are stretched out by treating thousands of Covid patients over the year, Sudhakar said the state government was deputing final year MBBS and nursing students to treat new cases.
"The students will be given special allowance and credits for serving Covid patients and duties related to the pandemic. They will be considered as Corona warriors and accorded priority for vaccination," he said.
Keeping in view the health and welfare of the Corona warriors in the fight against the virus, the state government will provide them risk allowance for treating the infected patients, he added.
The minister also said that all teaching hospitals have been directed to focus on reducing case fatality rate, conduct audit and provide quality treatment.
Home Minister Basvaraj Bommai and Revenue Minster R. Ashoka were present at the meeting with the private medical colleges.
--IANS
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