Karnataka to allow Private hospitals to treat COVID-19 patients govt to fix rates: Minster Sudhakar
Bengaluru: Karnataka Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar on Monday said private hospitals would be roped in to treat COVID-19 patients in the state and rates fixed for everything, from testing to treatment.
"...the private hospitals that will treat COVID-19 patients...for them rates will be fixed, it will be uniform across the state.
Maybe there will be some variation for Bengaluru, but for the entire state, a uniform rate structure will be fixed," Sudhakar said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said private nursing homes and corporate hospitals, especially those that have a large number of beds, will have to set up isolation wards and come forward to treat coronavirus patients in the days to come.
"Efforts are on in this direction and instructions will be issued in this regard soon by the government.
The government alone cannot provide treatment. Private and government sectors both will have to join hands and make efforts to control coronavirus," he added.
Sudhakar was speaking after attending the meeting of senior Ministers and officials, chaired by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, to discuss the increasing COVID-19 cases in the state and in Bengaluru.
Stressing that rates would be fixed for everything, from testing to treatment, he said the government would not allow anyone to indulge in 'extortion' at this time of crisis and would take 'merciless action' against such people.
"At the meeting today, it was decided that private hospitals should also provide treatment.
So we will discuss with the central government and ICMR, we will see what rates to be fixed, also regarding getting grants for this under Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka scheme, because private won't treat freely for the poor, and the government will have to pitch in, to bare cost," he added.
Stating that going forward, the government alone cannot manage everything, he said government, private, and all citizens have to join hands to fight the virus and save lives.
"Our health is in our hands. If we don't safeguard our health, can the government keep watch on every individual?" he asked in response to a question about incidences of not following guidelines and adhering to social distancing norms.
Sudhakar also requested the media to exercise restraint while telecasting news relating to COVID and see to it that it leads to fear-mongering among people.
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Confident we are going to win Kerala: Shashi Tharoor
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday expressed confidence in the victory of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala, saying the Congress-led alliance will win more than 75 seats out of the total 140 in the state.
Tharoor, who hails from Kerala, said he was not surprised to see the results of the exit polls, most of which predicted a victory for the UDF that has been out of power for 10 years in the state.
"We have been on the ground. I have campaigned in 59 constituencies across 12 districts out of 14. I was very confident we are going to win.
"Everything that I have picked up from not just my party colleagues and workers but also from other observers, media and others have always convinced me that we were going to score a comfortable win of above 75 seats. And all the (exit) polls have confirmed the same thing," he told reporters here.
The Thiruvananthapuram MP said he was not surprised to see the results of the exit polls but in general he was not a big fan of exit polls in India.
"Because ours is not purely a homogenous society. We have to take into account gender issue, caste issue, class issue, regional disparities. You never get a convincingly large enough sample to give an accurate poll and now there is the additional complication that we have heard about in West Bengal this year that many people are unwilling to answer the questions of the pollsters," he said.
The Congress leader said normally, it used to be below 10 per cent that people said that they would not answer.
"Even if you are a reputable exit pollster, in Bengal, one polling company has said 60 per cent of people refused to answer. So, what is the worth of a poll where 60 per cent of your respondents have not answered," he said.
Several exit polls on Wednesday predicted a comeback by the Congress-led UDF in Kerala after 10 years, dethroning the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF).
Polling for the 140-member Kerala assembly was held on April 9. Results of assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Puducherry, besides Kerala, will be announced on May 4.
