K Sudhakar warns private hospitals of strict action if they do not reserve beds for COVID patients
Bengaluru, Apr 15: Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar on Thursday warned of strict action against private hospitals if they do not follow its instructions on reserving 50 per cent of the beds for Covid patients.
"Government hospitals in Bengaluru are instructed to reserve more beds for Covid patients. Private hospitals have also been instructed to reserve 50 per cent of the beds.
Strict action will be initiated against those who do not cooperate," Sudhakar said.
Noting that private hospitals have reserved only 15-20 per cent of what has been asked for, he said the government will consider it as a serious lapse, and strict measures will be initiated, if they do not follow the orders.
"Only critical non-Covid patients who need hospitalisation should be treated in hospitals. Government cannot keep quiet if Covid patients are denied treatment."
"I once again appeal to the private hospitals to cooperate with the government," he said, adding that private hospitals can arrange Covid care centres at hotels.
Noting that 400 doctors have been transferred from the Medical education department to the Health department, Sudhakar said the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Disease (RGICD) has been kept reserved for severe acute respiratory infection and influenza-like illness related cases.
Presently 300 beds are available in Bengaluru's Victoria hospital, for Covid patients and will be increased to 500 shortly, the minister was quoted as saying by his office in a release.
According to the release, 300 beds in Bowring hospital, 150 in Charaka, 100 beds in HSIS Gosha and 100 beds will be reserved in KC General hospital within two weeks.
Stating that the state's Technical Advisory Committee on COVID (consisting of experts) will be submitting its report on surging cases and containment measures to the government, Sudhakar said it will be handed over to the CM and he will take a decision after discussion with leaders at the all party meeting and cabinet colleagues.
Amid surge in COVID-19 cases, the state government has convened an all-party meeting on April 18 to discuss strategies to control the spread of infections.
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Two injuries, one DNF, a DQ as India end messy World Relays campaign
Gaborone (Botswana) (PTI): Amoj Jacob and Ragul Kumar got injured during the men's 4x400m and 4x100 races respectively as India ended their World Athletics Relays campaign in disappointment on the second day of competitions here on Sunday.
The Indian camp had high hopes of making the 2027 World Championships in the men's 4x400m relay but the team did not finish (DNF) the race as Jacob suffered cramps and pulled out of the race after taking the baton from the first leg runner Dharamveer Choudhary. Rajesh Ramesh and Vishal TK were to run in the third and fourth legs.
Those teams which could not qualify for the 2027 Beijing World Championships by reaching the final round of each of the six relay events on Saturday were given another chance in the second qualification round on Sunday.
The top two teams in each of the two heats (in all six relay events) booked the Beijing ticket on Sunday.
India will now have to try and qualify for the World Championships through the Top Lists of the World Athletics, which is a long and tedious process.
In the men's 4x100m race, third leg runner Ragul Kumar fell down the track after failing to hand over the baton inside the exchange zone to fourth leg runner Gurindervir Singh, which clearly showed the lack of coordination among the runners.
Harsh Santosh Raut and Animesh Kujur ran the first two legs.
The Indian quartet was disqualified and Kumar was seen being taken away from the Field of Play with the help of the volunteers.
It was a comedy of errors in the case of the women's 4x100m race, which saw the baton being dropped during an exchange between first leg runner Tamanna and second runner Nithya Gandhe, though the Indians finished the race in 53.09 seconds.
Gandhe started running quite a distance, but after realising that the baton was not in her hand, she turned and ran back to pick it up.
The only silver-lining for the Indian contingent was the national record time in the mixed 4x100m relay race, though the quartet of Ragul Kumar, Nithya Gandhe, Animesh Kujur and Sneha SS finished sixth in heat number two with a time of 41.35 seconds, bettering the previous national mark of 42.30 seconds set in March in Chandigarh.
The mixed 4x400m relay quartet of Theerthesh P Shetty, Kumari Saloni, Nihal William and Rashdeep Kaur ended at fifth in heat number one with a time of 3 minutes and 19.40 seconds.
On Saturday, all the five Indian relay teams had failed to make it to the respective final rounds and thus missed out on the 2027 World Championships berths.
