Bengaluru: BBMP issues notices to 36 hospitals for not allocating beds for COVID-19 patients
BBMP has sent notices to 36 private hospitals in Bengaluru for not allocating 50% beds for government referred COVID-19 patients. Hospitals were given 48 hours to file a compliance report to the BBMP commissioner, failing which action would be initiated against them.
FollowBengaluru: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has issued show-cause notices to 36 private hospitals in the city on Wednesday.
The notices were issued for not making available 50 percent of the mandated number of beds for government-referred coronavirus-infected patients.
In an order by the BBMP dated June 23, it was decided that half of the beds in private medical establishments shall be reserved for the treatment of patients referred by the public health authority.
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However, many of these private hospitals have not complied with the order and the list includes private hospitals like BSG Global, Apollo Hospital (Benerghatta and Sheshadripuram) and Narayana Hrudayalaya Pvt Ltd.
It is reported that hospitals are categorised based on the number of bed occupancy. As many as 21 hospitals that have more than 100 beds have defaulted.
In its notice, the BBMP said, “Patients who were sent even after blocking beds on the online portal of BBMP were turned away stating unavailability of beds. This could either mean beds which were supposed to be reserved for the government are being allocated to private patients.”
The private hospitals have now been given 48 hours to file compliance reports to the BBMP commissioner failing which action would be initiated under Section 15 of the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments Act.
Which could result in suspension of registration and further fine and imprisonment of officials concerned. Action would also be taken under provisions of the Disaster Management Act.
