As Karnataka Covid-19 case tally is nearing the 50,000-mark, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Friday allowed Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), apartments, companies and NGOs to set up Covid Care Centres (CCCs) on their premises.
Invoking a previous order issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department back in July 2020 during the first wave of the pandemic, the civic body has allowed again for citizen groups to set up CCCs and stabilize patients.
According to Gaurav Gupta, Chief Commissioner, BBMP, many RWAs, apartment complexes and individual organisations had submitted requests and sought permission to set up CCCs on their premises to attend to the asymptomatic and mild symptomatic patients with necessary medical help. “Hence, we have directed our zonal health officers to give permission by obtaining approval from the Zonal Commissioners,” Gupta pointed.
The BBMP has laid down various conditions and rolled out a list of prerequisites to set up CCCs by the RWAs. Permission has been given only to admit asymptomatic and mild-symptomatic patients. “The RWAs shall have a tie-up with the medical team or with a doctor residing in the premises for triaging and regular clinical support of the patients,” the order said.
Many hospitals have already begun to tie up with apartment complexes to covert their clubhouses into emergency medical response rooms for providing quick medical support keeping in mind the surge in cases and mortality rate.