80 per cent of beds at private and government medical colleges except for emergency beds, mother and childcare beds and dialysis beds, have to be reserved for Covid-19 patients in three to four days, announced Health and Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Thursday. There are 12 private medical colleges and four government medical colleges—Victoria, Bowring, Charaka and HSIS Gosha Hospital.
"The state hopes to get an additional 7,500 beds by doing this. All hospitals with less than 30 beds should only admit non-Covid patients. All private hospitals with more than 30 beds have to now reserve 80% beds for government-referred Covid patients including ICU beds, ventilator beds, high dependency units, and high flow nasal cannula beds. This is an emergency situation," said Sudhakar.
Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (PHANA) said all 30-bedded and lesser hospitals amount to a mere 100-200 beds in Bengaluru. "If 80% of beds are reserved for government-referred Covid patients, where will private patients go who are taxpayers? Let the government reserve 50% beds for government-referred Covid patients, allot 30% for private quota Covid patients and keep 20% for non-Covid patients. We also need to discuss where cardiac patients will be accommodated. I will discuss this issue with the minister," said PHANA President Dr HM Prasanna