78 per cent of Covid beds in Bengaluru’s private hospitals are vacant, says minister K Sudhakar

BENGALURU: Allaying fears of bed-shortage in Bengaluru, Karnataka’s medical education minister (Covid in-charge) K Sudhakar on Sunday, said 78 per cent of Covid-beds in private hospitals across the tech-capital are vacant.
Coming at a time when reports about patients struggling to find beds are making headlines, the state government’s claim is a pointer to the fact that Bengaluru’s health infrastructure is not yet overwhelmed. The government also stated that it is streamlining bed-management in the city by rolling out a Central Bed Allotment System software, which will track bed availability in private hospitals in real-time and direct Covid positive patients without wasting time.
Minister Sudhakar pointed out there were 3,331 beds earmarked for Covid treatment in 72 hospitals in the city. As of Saturday evening, only 733 beds in private hospitals were occupied. “In other words, 78 per cent (2,598 beds) were vacant,” he said.
Ditto with regard to government hospitals and Covid Care Centres (CCCs), the minister said. There are 1,430 beds earmarked for Covid treatment in government hospitals and government medical colleges. Of these, around 400 beds are available. This apart, around 50 per cent of beds in CCCs, where asymptomatic patients are treated, are vacant.
Though Bengaluru’s count of active Covid cases touched 7,251 on Saturday and is low compared to other cities, alarm bells rang loud following reports about patients dying after private hospitals denied them admission. Senior officials said the situation was triggered because of lack of coordination between the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and private hospitals.