Help desks for coronavirus patients set up at 50 hospitals in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: BBMP Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta visited Apollo Hospital in BBMP south zone and inspected the citizens' help desk on Friday. "The help desk is coordinating between the hospital and citizens," he said.

He was speaking to media persons after visiting the help desk at Apollo Hospital, Jayanagar, Transit Oxygen Centre in Wilson Garden Maternity Hospital and swab testing laboratory in Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology. Citizen help desks are being opened at 50 major hospitals for the benefit of the public and the first 25 have already been set up, he said. The 24x7 help desks will address the confusion and issues of patients/citizens.

The Chief Commissioner said 47 beds have been reserved for Covid patients at Apollo Hospital. The meeting held with the physicians discussed reserving beds on behalf of BBMP, whether or not there is oxygen scarcity, triaging among others things. He said he has instructed them to make sure no issue arises.

As part of setting up stepdown hospitals in collaboration with private hospitals and hotels, a 39-bed stepdown hospital jointly with Apollo Hospital has been opened. Doctors /staff working at the hospital are treating patients at the step-down hospital. Apollo Hospital will shift those patients who are responding to treatment and improving to the stepdown hospital and this will help those who are in critical condition. More step down hospitals will be opened in the city, he added.

The BBMP has converted 10 maternity hospitals into transit oxygen centres to help those in critical need of oxygen. The doctors will decide who requires oxygen through triaging and they will be further recommended for treatment at the hospital.

Gaurav Gupta visited the 24-bed oxygen transit centre at Wilson Garden Maternity Hospital and inspected the arrangements.

He said that the 12 Covid Care Centres (CCCs) in the city have around 2,100 beds that are operational and only 800 are occupied now. Every CCC will have a 20% oxygen bed facility. Besides, a meeting will be conducted with the Resident Welfare Associations in the city regarding opening CCCs in the apartment complexes. The BBMP will set up triaging centres too which will admit patients to be triaged by the physicians to assess whether they need to be admitted to hospital or CCC. If not, they will be sent home, he said.

At present, the Kidwai testing centre is taking up to 6,000 tests every day. The laboratory can test up to 20,000 samples every day. BU number generation and SRF ID won't cause a problem as everything is automated, he added. He said various issues related to the delay in the generation of BU numbers have been discussed.

Zonal Commissioner Tulsi Maddineni, Zonal Joint Commissioner Veerabhadraswamy, Health Officer Dr. Shivakumar and other officials were present.

Transit Oxygen Centers

♦ Rajajinagar Maternity Hospital

♦ Kaveripura Maternity Hospital

♦ Gavipuram Guttahalli Referral Maternity Hospital

♦ Azad Nagar Maternity Hospital

♦ Pobbathi Maternity Hospital

♦ Magadi Road Maternity Hospital

♦ Adugodi Maternity Hospital

♦Tavarekere Maternity Hospital

♦ Hoskerehalli Referral Hospital

♦ Shantinagar Maternity Hospital

♦ Wilson Garden Maternity Hospital