Bengaluru Covid crisis: BBMP officials fail to answer calls causing more stress for patients

BENGALURU: To address the health crises and to ensure there are less patients in hospitals, apart from the right kind of treatment, attending to the needy at the right time is also important. But that was not the case. I had to take my ailing in-laws to the BBMP east zone war room to get the attention of the staffers and officials just to say pick my call, help me out,” said wailing Fathima F.

She was trying to reach the officials in the war room since two days to get medical help after her in-laws were tested positive.

The case with Devyani M (name changed) is no different. “I was told that after I am tested positive, the BMP will call me for triaging. No one did for four days. I kept on calling all the zonal and joint commissioners from all zones for help. But no one answered. My condition kept deteriorating and their numbers kept on being unanswered or switched off. On the fifth day, my relatives from Kerala had to use their political connection to admit me in ICU,” she said.

There are many others who have the same complaint. They state that neither the joint commissioners, zonal commissioners or incharge health officials pick up the call. Some point that out ever since the BBMP administration has been decentralised, there is no clarity and accountability from the zones.

Former corporators also point the same. “I was trying to reach out to the joint commissioner of my zone. There was no response for a week. When his office landline responded, I was directed to the JC’s personal assistant, who slammed my call, stating that he was busy with the zonal commissioner. If we are treated this way, I can well understand the plight of citizens. Ironically these JCs were humble, polite and accountable when they were under the central management system earlier,” said a former corporator, not wanting to be named.

Reacting to this, BBMP Administrator Rakesh Singh said, this kind of non-professionalism and unaccounatbility from the officials is not acceptable. In this pandemic, they should be available to all citizens. The matter will be looked into he said.