Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Tuesday directed hospital authorities to take steps to vacate all COVID-19 patients who are staying in hospitals beyond 20 days, even after their health condition improves. These directions came after his visit to the Bengaluru West division COVID-19 war room in Malleshwaram.
Yediyurappa said that he had come to know from war room data that about 835 patients were occupying beds beyond 20 days in the division. "What is the need for the 332 patients to remain in the hospital for 30 days? They should vacate the beds. There are 503 patients who have been in hospitals for over 20 days. People who are staying in the hospital unnecessarily should go home," he said.
He said that the doctors and hospitals must take steps to vacate those who were staying beyond 15 to 20 days in the hospital, to make way for new patients. Answering a question, Yediyurappa said that doctors must inform these patients to vacate beds.
"Beyond 10 days, anybody who stays should be discharged as after this duration, one needs medication support and home care and such patients do not need hospital care at all," he explained.
Yediyurappa said those 503 patients who have been staying in the hospital beyond 21 days and 30 days are in the hospital, despite doctors advising their discharge. "These patients must make way for others. They should be told that the treatment is over and they should go home paving the way for admission of serious cases," he said.
He added that the COVID-19 war room has generated information about those patients who can avail treatment at home but were staying put in the hospital, depriving serious patients from getting treatment.
Terming the COVID-19 War Room management in Karnataka as one of the best in the country, the CM said that data generated in war rooms in Karnataka are accurate and giving every detail on a real-time basis about the number of people admitted, for how long they are there and the availability of beds in hospitals for COVID-19 patients.
"We are operating this war room in a systematic manner, which probably cannot be seen anywhere in the country," he said.
The Chief Minister's visit to the COVID-19 War Room came after his own party men including BJP Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya alleged a 'cash for bed scam' the city’s private hospitals, claiming that a few war room staff colluded with hospitals and civic officials to block government quota of beds for certain patients. Those beds were 'sold' to the needy for a hefty bribe somewhere between Rs 50,000 to over Rs 1 lakh, he had alleged.
Acting on the allegations, the Bengaluru Central Crime Branch police had arrested seven persons including doctors and also interrogated nearly two dozen people working in hospitals and COVID-19 war rooms.