Patients with mild symptoms don’t require hospitalisation: Health Minister 

Bengaluru: All Corona positive patients do not require hospitalisation as people with mild symptoms can take treatment at home, said Health and Medical Education Minister Dr. K. Sudhakar.

Talking to reporters here yesterday, he said for those under home quarantine, they will get call from the Call Centre to give guidance. Such patients were given the medical kit free of charge. In United Kingdom, the mortality rate was brought down by reducing the burden on hospitals by keeping patients at home. The UK model will be followed here too, he said and added that the State has over two lakh active cases and additional staff was required to make phone calls to all patients. To do this work, the help of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has been taken.

The Minister said the State Cabinet also gave its nod to buy Covid related medicines worth Rs.81.32 crore, Rs.25 crore to buy Remdesivir injection and Rs.400 crore to buy COVID vaccines. Decision has been taken to install ventilators for 250 beds in Victoria and Bowring Hospitals. Besides, as many as 3,000-bed make-shift hospital will come up in Bengaluru. Even portable oxygen will be supplied, he noted.

Dr. Sudhakar said some Private Hospitals have responded to the State Government’s appeal to reserve 75 percent of beds for Covid patients. The beds will be handed over to the Government once the patients were discharged from the hospitals. Any simple treatment in any form of medicine will be encouraged

Earlier, the Minister held a meeting with the representatives of Private Hospitals and said hospitals have reserved less number of beds when compared to last year. The Hospitals must hand over 75 percent beds to the Government and payment for those beds will be made from Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust Fund, he said.