Chairman of the Legislative Council, Basavaraj Horatti, who recovered from COVID-19 and was discharged from KIMS (Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences) Hospital in Hubballi, has urged the Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa to supply more ventilators and oxygen beds for the hospital, which is a nodal medical facility for northern districts of Karnataka.
In a letter to Mr. Yediyurappa, which was released to the media on Tuesday, Mr. Horatti said he had recovered from the infection, but the developments he had seen at KIMS had forced him to write seeking more aid.
Mr. Horatti said he had found that the hospital, which had been doing tremendous service despite odds, faced shortage of infrastructure and medical equipment.
He said there was specifically shortage of oxygen beds and ventilators and he was pained to witness deaths of patients due to this in the last couple of days. “KIMS has 100 ventilator beds and requires at least 300 ventilators. Similarly, there is need for an oxygen plant at the hospital and 500 oxygen beds. During my hospitalisation, I saw a few deaths, including that of the medical director’s relative, due to shortage of ventilator,” he has said in the letter.
Mr. Horatti also urged the Chief Minister to provide additional oxygen and ventilators to district hospitals of Dharwad, Gagag, Haveri, and Uttara Kannada districts.
