Bengaluru: The rising Covid-19 fatality rate in Karnataka coupled with shortage of doctors has put Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa in a spot.
During a virtual meeting Thursday, the CM asked deputy commissioners (DCs) of various districts to ramp up testing facilities and ensure that adequate primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare is given to patients to bring down the death rate.
“Our priority should be to save lives and provide good treatment,” the CM told the DCs.
On Thursday, Karnataka recorded 9,217 new cases and 128 deaths, taking the total number of cases to 4,30,947 and deaths to 6,937. The state currently has 1,01,537 active cases.
Districts such as Bengaluru Urban, Mysuru, Ballari and Belagavi account for 57 per cent of the total cases.
Bengaluru Urban’s numbers have been very high with 1,60,205 cases so far — of which 43,656 are active. As many as 2,340 people have died in the district so far.
Mysuru has 6,816 active cases and 549 deaths, while Ballari has 4,466 active cases and 322 deaths, and Belagavi 3,936 active cases and 226 deaths, according to state government data.
Also read: Maharashtra, TN & Karnataka record most Covid deaths as India has 4th highest global toll
Doctors infected with Covid, fearing to return
Amid the pandemic, the state is facing an acute shortage of doctors, nurses and healthcare workers as many of them have been infected with Covid.
Private hospitals and nursing homes have already intimated the government about it.
R. Ravindra, president of the Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (PHANA) —that represents 384 private hospitals across the state — told ThePrint that they are facing a shortage of nearly 30 per cent doctors, and around 10 per cent of them are either Covid-positive or recuperating.
“We have a shortage of close to 50 per cent nurses and an equal number of healthcare workers. Some of the healthcare workers have not been reporting to work fearing the spread of the infection,” he said.
Ravindra added that though they have tried to incentivise the doctors by giving them a salary hike and promising them health insurance, many have still not returned.
“We appeal to them to help us in this time of crisis. Having said that, many of the doctors are also stuck in their hometowns. We would request them to help their district administration there,” he added.
Medical students told to pitch in
In order to cover the shortage of healthcare staff, the state government has asked 900 postgraduate final-year medical students to pitch in.
The counselling of these students has already begun and they have also been assigned various districts where they are expected to report by next week, the CM said during the meeting.
The chief minister’s office released a statement Thursday, saying that Yediyurappa has advised that all those districts, which do not have adequate medical facilities or well-equipped Covid testing laboratories, can seek the help of their neighbouring districts.
“Deputy commissioners have been asked to coordinate better between themselves as the fight against the pandemic continues,” said a senior official, who was present during the meeting.
With cases of re-infection also being reported, Yediyurappa has asked the authorities to ensure that patients are tested a few days after their discharge from the hospital.
An official of the state Covid war room, who didn’t want to be named, told ThePrint Karnataka has been recording an increasing number of cases due to three reasons — higher testing, violation of home quarantine norms by asymptomatic patients and removal of lockdown restrictions.
Also read: This is how Karnataka’s Covid War Room is fighting the big battle, one app at a time