Reserve 50% beds or face prosecution: BBMP
BENGALURU:
After finding that 36 hospitals in the city have not apportioned 50 per cent of their beds for government-referred Covid patients, BBMP has issued an ultimatum to these hospitals to comply with the government’s directive in this regard within 48 hours, failing which they will face prosecution under the relevant laws.
A ‘final’ showcause notice to these hospitals, issued by BBMP Commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad on Wednesday, points to the requisitioning of 50 per cent of beds in private hospitals for government-referred Covid cases via a notification by the Chief Secretary in June. The notice said the civic agency had been empowered to check the compliance of hospitals in this regard.
The BBMP notice refers to the beds requisitioned by the government in each of these hospitals. It notes that even when patients were referred to these hospitals after blocking beds on the BBMP portal, they were turned away on the pretext that beds were not available.
Apart from warning the hospitals to comply with the government’s order on reserving beds for referred patients, the notice has directed them to update the SAST portal with details of all government-referred patients and private patients. The notice says the information should be handed over to the nodal officers concerned within the next 24 hours.
