More step-down hospitals to come up in hotels in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta and Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai met PHANA team, along with Special Commissioner (Health) Rajendra Cholan, Chief Health Officer Dr Vijendra and other zonal health officers on Wednesday to discuss opening up of step-down hospitals in hotels with the help of private hospitals.

It was decided that the step-down hospitals should be opened with the support of private hospitals as soon as possible to start treating Covid-19 patients. It has instructed the officers to find more such facilities in their zones and gradually increase the number of beds in the step-down hospitals too.

Speaking at the meeting, Gaurav Gupta said "Any private hospital which has registered under KPME Act can tie up with hotels in their neighborhood and start a health facility immediately. He said that these step-down facilities will help a large number of patients who are in an emergency who can directly be sent to hospitals and whoever is in the hospital and is stable can be shifted to step-down hospitals for monitoring."

According to the reports, priority hotels will be identified and PHANA will tie up with hotels to increase step-down facilities and number of beds.

The Health and Family Welfare Department will be deputing necessary doctors and nurses to these facilities. The services of retired doctors and students will also be utilised in these facilities. Step-down hospitals/facilities will also have oxygen concentrators installed.

Hotel Association President PC Rao said, "already with the help of 13 hospitals around 1,200 bed facilities have been made in the hotels. Another 15 hotels are being identified to convert them into step-down hospitals/facilities. The home minister also suggested that the hotel association increase beds by 2,000 as soon as possible and asked the BBMP Commissioner to follow this process closely."