All COVID-19-infected patients will be given free treatment in all medical college hospitals in Dakshina Kannada, according to Minister in-charge of the district Kota Srinivasa Poojary.
All such patients can avail themselves of free treatment by producing their Aadhaar cards. This applies to BPL and APL families, migrant workers and those who did not have ration cards.
The Minister was speaking after visiting the KMC Hospital and reviewing the COVID-19 treatment facilities and capacities there.
Mr. Poojary said that people need not be apprehensive of the spread of the disease and the government is committed to providing treatment to all. Many patients in the district have recovered from the disease, he added.
Book cases
Speaking on the occasion, Member of Parliament Nalin Kumar Kateel instructed the officials of the Department of Health and Family Welfare to book cases against hospitals that charged hefty fee for treating COVID-19 patients crossing the limit fixed by the government.
Mr. Kateel said that people have complained about some hospitals collecting hefty fee from patients for treatment.
He asked the officials to provide information to the public on the rates fixed by the government for treatment. In case of emergency that required surgery, doctors should conduct it without waiting for COVID-19 test report, Mr. Kateel said.
Meanwhile, speaking at a video conference with Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Monday, Deputy Commissioner Sindhu B. Rupesh said that the district administration has 3,500 beds ready for COVID-19 treatment. Those beds are in hospitals and government hostels which have been converted as COVID-19 care centres.
She said that the district has a capacity to prepare 10,000 more beds. These beds will be ready within a week. Different halls, hostels and hospitals will be used for keeping the beds ready.
The Deputy Commissioner said that 43 COVID-19-infected persons have died in the district till Sunday. Of the 36,898 persons tested in the district, infection has been found in 2,222 persons.
House-to-house survey is being carried out in some areas to trace those having COVID-19 symptoms, she said.