With several COVID-19 patients finding it difficult to get beds in hospitals, the State government on Saturday directed all private hospitals to mandatorily display details on availability of beds, allocation, and availability of essential medicines. They have also been directed to establish help desk counters.
The second wave has seen more people seeking beds, especially oxygenated beds, and there have multiple cases of people not being able to find them. Lack of a transparent bed allocation system in private hospitals is cited as one of the reasons.
A notification, issued by Chief Secretary P. Ravi Kumar, directed all hospitals registered under the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (KPME) to display on board at the reception counter the total number of beds available in the hospital, number of beds allocated for COVID-19 patients referred by BBMP, number of ICU beds, number of ICU beds with ventilators, beds with high flow of oxygen, and beds with regular flow of oxygen.
The government had issued an order directing all private hospitals registered under KPME to allocate 50% of beds to COVID-19 patients. The data provided by hospitals must corroborate with the data of the central bed allocation system at the BBMP, the Chief Secretary said.
The availability of essential medicines and provision of help desk in all hospitals should be provided. Similar arrangements should be made in all healthcare institutions in districts, the notification said.
Non-compliance of the order would attract punishment under relevant provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, and the Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Act, 2020, the Chief Secretary said.
