Sept 17: 1,003 new COVID-19 cases, 18 deaths in Karnataka
Bengaluru, Sep 17: Karnataka logged 1,003 fresh COVID-19 cases and 18 deaths on Friday, taking the total number of infections to 29,66,194 and the toll to 37,573.
The day also saw 1,199 discharges, taking the total number of recoveries in the state so far to 29,12,633. Bengaluru Urban topped in the number of new infections with 310, as the city saw 276 discharges and six deaths. The total number of active cases in the state stood at 15,960.
While the positivity rate for the day stood at 0.67 per cent, the Case Fatality Rate (CFR) was 1.79 per cent.
Behind Bengaluru Urban in the fatality count was Belagavi (3), Dakshina Kannada (2), followed by others.
Among the districts where the new cases were reported, Dakshina Kannada had 124, Kodagu 96, Udupi 94, followed by others.
Bengaluru Urban district topped the list of positive cases, with a total of 12,42,950, Mysuru was next with 1,77,149 and Tumakuru 1,19,861.
Among discharges too, Bengaluru Urban was on top with 12,19,417, followed by Mysuru 1,74,211 and Tumakuru 1,18,123.
Cumulatively a total of 4,60,04,395 samples have been tested in the state so far, out of which 1,48,496 were on Friday alone.
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K'taka govt. to take over 108 ambulance service from private control, announces Min. Dinesh Gundurao
Bengaluru: Karnataka’s Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao announced on Wednesday that the state government will take over the management of 108 ambulance services, taking them out of the hands of private agencies.
Until now, the 108 ambulance services were operated by private agencies despite being owned and funded by the government. "There were several operational problems under private management. Ambulance staff often faced delays in salary payments, and the government had to step in repeatedly to resolve such issues," Rao said.
He emphasized that the government had been bearing the entire cost of the service from fuel expenses to employee wages while the operations were outsourced to a private entity. The arrangement included a single command center for the entire state, which Rao said was inadequate for managing such a critical health service.
Highlighting the importance of the 108 service in saving lives during medical emergencies, Rao revealed that a pilot project to directly manage ambulances was successfully implemented in Chamarajanagar district. Encouraged by its success, the government is now ready to expand the model statewide.
Beginning next month, all government ambulances will be brought under the direct supervision of the health department. Within three months, the department also plans to take control of the command and control functions currently handled by private agencies. A central command center will be established in Bengaluru, along with district-level centers to ensure better coordination and faster response times.
Minister Rao also added that this transition will not only streamline operations and enhance service quality but also result in significant savings running into hundreds of crores for the state exchequer.
