Bengaluru: Notices to 7 city hospitals

Bengaluru: BBMP has decided to take action against seven hospitals in Bengaluru which are found not complying with the directive of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to reserve 50% of beds in each category i.e. general wards, HDU, ICU and ICU with ventilators, for Covid-19 patients sponsored by the civic body.

On Saturday morning notices were issued under the KPME Act directing the seven hospitals to show cause within the next 24 hours as to why their licenses should not be cancelled. If no proper explanation is received within 24 hours along with an undertaking to reserve 50% beds for BBMP sponsored COVID patients, the civic body will be constrained to close down the OPDs at the first instance and thereafter all the existing patients admitted in these hospitals will be shifted to some other hospitals and subsequently they will be closed down.

Covid-19 has been notified as epidemic disease under the Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Ordinance, 2020 and the BBMP has been empowered to carry out the responsibilities of controlling the spread of the disease under Section 4 of the ordinance within its jurisdiction.

Apart from reserving 50% of the beds exclusively for the patients referred by the government the hospitals were also directed to update the online SAST portal with details of all the patients so that the actual bed occupancy and vacancy is reflected real-time. They have been also directed to give the information about the occupancy of the beds by non-Covid patients under various categories as well. "However, during the inspection carried out by SAST team members it has been observed that hospitals have not complied with the directions of the government t to notify and make available the mandated 50% of the beds for the patients referred by the government," the notice signed by BBMP commissioner, N. Manjunath Prasad said.

The hospitals which received

BBMP notices:

Artyem Hospital

Rangadorai Memorial Hospital

 Sanjeevini Hospital

 Dr. GVG Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.

 Srinivas Hospital

 Medstar Hospital

 Nandana Healthcare

Services India Ltd.