ICU bed shortage in Bengaluru as Covid – 19 cases rise further

As the Covid-19 cases surge in Bengaluru, the city is having a shortage of the ICU beds as the private hospitals are stepping down from their commitment of providing bed supply.

Tushar Girinath, the IAS official, managing the beds in Bengaluru, said, “The number of patients and the ICU beds had been balanced up till now. But, we started to see a slight increase in the numbers that tipped the balance.”

BBMP’s bed management portal disclosed that the government hospitals in the city have a count of 57 ICU beds for Covid patients. The private hospitals contribute 316 beds and private medical colleges add up to 102 beds.

The official count comprises 34 free beds in government hospitals, 5 for private colleges, 156 in private hospitals and every single bed for government college. Though, according to Girinath, the current numbers are not reflecting the portal update.

“There is a lag in the information update to the portal,” Girinath added.

“We have learned that some private hospitals have given government quota beds to private Covid-19 patients even if they are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, which is a waste of resources,” BBMP Commissioner Randeep D said.

“This means they have reneged on their commitments to the government. Some punitive action will have to be taken,” Randeep added.