BBMP mandates private hospitals to reserve 50% beds for Covid patients referred by it

Bengaluru: In view of the spike in the number of Covid cases, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has in a circular said that "All the private hospitals are mandated to share 50% of the overall bed capacity under Government quota for management of Covid 19 cases".

The circular signed by BBMP commissioner Gaurav Gupta said that 50% of the beds in private hospitals having facilities to treat Covid-19 patients should be reserved for the treatment of patients referred by BBMP, through Centralised Hospital Bed Management System (CIIBMS).

"Now therefore in exercise of the powers vested under the Disaster Management Act 2005, the undersigned in his capacity as Chief Commissioner, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, issues the following order to share the number of beds in private hospitals and to regulate the package rates to be charged by the Private Health Providers (PHPs) for treatment of Government referred Covid-19 patients and the package ceiling for treating private Covid 19 patients," the order said.

The hospitals are asked to share the bed matrix with the BBMP in categories such as General Beds, High Dependency Unit Beds, Intensive Care Unit Beds and Intensive Care Units with Ventilator Beds.

On April 10, Hassan Deputy Commissioner R. Girish had instructed private hospitals and nursing homes to reserve 50% of beds for Covid-19 patients.

Last year, after the repeated refusal of the private hospitals to admit Covid-19 patients, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had directed them to reserve 50 percent of beds.