Declare health emergency, MP appeals to govt.

Member of Parliament from Udupi-Chikkamagalur Shobha Karandlaje has appealed to the State government to declare a health emergency and take over 50% of beds in private hospitals for treating COVID-19 patients. The government should constitute a task force for this purpose, she said.

The Member of Parliament has also requested the State government to provide financial assistance to small private hospitals to purchase ventilators. In addition, she said, the companies which manufacture ventilators should be paid advance fund to manufacture equipment in the required quantities.

The step is to wade through the difficult times in view of increasing cases of COVID-19, she said in a letter written to Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Saturday.

She said that 1,000 ventilators should be provided for hospitals across the State.

Ms. Karandlaje said that the Health Department should announce on a daily basis the availability of Remdesivir and oxygen to avoid panic among people. Many COVID-19 patients are out of fear psychosis showing urgency in getting themselves hospitalised. But that will lead to a condition of scarcity of beds to the needy COVID-19 patients. A help desk should be opened at every hospital and doctors should decide who needs hospitalisation.

The MP said that it appears that the situation will go out of hand in the next fortnight. Hence, the government should take these steps to manage the situation in better manner.