Karnataka govt planning additional insurance cover to docs, paramedics treating COVID-19 patients
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government is mulling providing additional health insurance coverage to doctors and paramedics treating the COVID-19 cases and working in the laboratories besides existing schemes, Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar said on Tuesday.
Stressing that their safety was 'paramount', he also asked them to follow the guidelines laid down by the Health department while treating COVID-19 cases, the number of which has risen to four in the state.
He was speaking after inaugurating a new laboratory which will have testing facilities for coronavirus and other pathogens, including H1N1, at the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) at the Victoria Hospital campus here.
We are also thinking of providing, in addition to whatever schemes we have, extra health insurance to health officials who are working in labs and also in the hospitals who are treating COVID-19 cases, he said.
The minister said the matter was under discussion and they would come out with an announcement.
Doctors, paramedics and those working in the labs need it (mask) the most. You have to protect yourself first. There should not be any scope for professional negligence, he added.
Noting that even those who do not have any symptoms of the coronavirus were rushing to medical shops to get masks, he said more than the masks, public awareness was the need of the hour.
"Only those who have symptoms of the disease, have to wear the mask compulsorily, he added.
Speaking about the laboratory, he said it had been accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) and can conduct five types of tests.
The state-of-the-art centre will provide diagnostics facilities to investigate various viral outbreaks, including coronavirus and H1N1, officials said.
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Swamiji fires gun into the air in Kalaburagi village, video goes viral
Kalaburagi: An incident involving a swamiji firing a gun into the air has been reported from Udachan village in Afzalpur taluk of Kalaburagi district. The act, captured on video, has since gone viral on social media.
The swamiji has been identified as Sri Shantalinga Shivacharya, pontiff of the Hiremath of Sri Shankaralingeshwara Samsthana. According to reports, the incident took place on Sunday evening within the premises of the math, where the swamiji allegedly fired a single-barrel gun into the air.
This is not the first time the swami has courted controversy. Last year, he was reportedly found driving erratically under the influence of alcohol in Salotagi village of neighbouring Indi taluk, following which members of the public confronted him. He later fled from the math, sources said.
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More recently, during the annual fair of the Sri Shankaralingeshwara Math in Udachan village, the swami had arrived at the village with police protection, claiming to be the rightful pontiff of the math. Despite opposition from villagers, he reportedly went ahead and conducted rituals related to the fair.
The latest incident of firing the gun into the air has triggered criticism, especially after the video surfaced online. Further action, if any, is awaited from the authorities.
