Mysore/Mysuru: Co-operation and District In-charge Minister S.T. Somashekar has asked officers to make preparations to increase the number of oxygenated beds, ventilators and ICUs in the district.

Presiding over COVID-19 District Task Force Committee meeting at Zilla Panchayat auditorium here yesterday, he said plenty of general beds are available but there was lot of demand for oxygenated beds, ventilators and ICUs. Steps need to be taken up in this regard.

The exact demand for oxygen in Government Hospitals and Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust (SAST) Registered Hospitals was available. But the non-SAST registered Hospitals which were also into treatment of Covid patients, were not giving details on oxygen utilisation, he said and asked the Officers to insist on those Hospitals to share information.

“It is the responsibility of every one of us to prevent deaths due to shortage of oxygen. Officers must give exact requirement of oxygen so that the exact quantity of the same could be procured. If officers failed to furnish exact information with documents it will be very difficult to seek additional quota for oxygen at the Government level,” the Minister said. Somashekar said there was scope to increase the number of ICUs at the Super Speciality Hospital and constituted a committee headed by MLA S.A. Ramdas, who is also the Advisor of the Task Force, consisting of doctors and four officers, to give a detailed report in next two days, about the requirement of doctors, medical staff and equipment.

He said pressure on oxygenated and ICU beds has increased as patients who don’t require both, were getting admitted to Hospitals. This can be solved if patients were medically examined at the Covid Mitra Centres and then allot them bed according to their health condition.

Claiming that tender process will delay in the procurement of medicines, Ramdas suggested to give powers to the Deputy Commissioner to buy the medicine without following the usual procedure.

MLA Tanveer Sait, MUDA Chairman H.V. Rajeev, Deputy Commissioner Rohini Sindhuri, ZP CEO A.M. Yogesh, Zoo Authority of Karnataka Chairman L.R. Mahadevaswamy, Jungle Lodges and Resorts Chairman M. Appanna, D. Devaraja Urs Backward Classes Development Corporation Chairman R. Raghu Kautilya, Additional Deputy Commissioner Dr. B.S. Manjunathaswamy, DHO Dr. T. Amarnath and others were present.