Revenue Minister R. Ashok on Thursday said there was no need for any hospital in Bengaluru to seek either a report on COVID-19 or the official code number from the authorities concerned to admit patients.
The Minister told reporters in Bengaluru that the hospitals could admit anyone who comes to them seeking emergency medical response without such reports. “They can conduct COVID-19 test after admitting the patient. If the patient tests positive, he can be shifted to the COVID-19 ward. Otherwise, they can treat them in the non-COVID wing,” he said.
Pointing out that hospitals attend to accident victims immediately without waiting for any report from the authorities, he said they should follow a similar procedure with respect to COVID-19 patients too.
On nurses
Mr. Ashok, who held a meeting of leaders and elected representatives from South zone of Bengaluru city on COVID-19 management, expressed concern over reports that some nurses were skipping work. He sought to remind them that it was obligatory on their part to attend to work related to COVID-19. He warned that measures would be taken to identify those skipping work and action initiated against them.
He also said all doctors and other health staff had to undergo a one-week quarantine after a week of work. The government will arrange for their quarantine in nearby hotels, he said.
Land Reforms Act
Launching a counter-attack at Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah for describing the Karnataka Land Reforms (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 as “anti-farmer”, Mr. Ashok maintained that the changes had been brought about to promote agricultural export and facilitate educated youngsters taking up farming.
