BENGALURU:
The state task force headed by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, meeting on Tuesday, decided to purchase 4 lakh antigen test kits and 5 lakh swab test kits. It fixed the rate for Covid tests in private labs at Rs 2,000 for government-referred cases and Rs 3,000 for self-reporting cases. It also hiked the monthly remuneration of allopathic doctors on contract to Rs 80,000, as well as the pay of Ayush doctors and of nurses.
All the BBMP zonal in-charge ministers along with Medical Education Minister Dr.K.Sudhakar were present in the meeting, except for Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai who was on an official visit to Hubballi.
Among the other decisions taken were:
• Approval for additional drugs for treatment of Covid -19 patients.
• Private hospitals to reserve 50% beds for government for Covid treatment. Remaining 50% can be utilized by the private hospitals for Covid and non- Covid treatments.
• Private hospitals to provide treatment under Ayushman Bharat scheme for Covid patients.
• A committee will be formed to supervise and recommend purchase of equipment and medicines for Covid treatment. The committee will be headed by the ACS, IT-BT Department.
• 2,59,263 N-95 masks and PPE kits will be procured for the safety of healthcare workers.
• Oxygen pipelines will be connected to 4,736 beds in 17 government medical colleges.
• 16 RT-PCR and 15 Automated RNA extraction units will be established to ramp up testing. This will help achieve the target of 50,000 tests per day.
• Ayush doctors to get Rs 48,000 monthly remuneration, MBBS doctors to get Rs 80,000 and nurses to get Rs 30,000 for the next 6 months.
• Remdesivir which is currently available in the government hospitals will be supplied to private hospitals through the government. This will help curb blackmarketing of the drug.
• Strict action will be initiated against private hospitals which charge more than the government rates for Covid testing.
• Approval for purchase of equipment and upgradation of existing facilities at government hospitals at a cost of Rs 500 crore.
