Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)
Bengaluru, Jul 16: Deputy chief minister (DCM) of Karnataka Dr C N Ashwathnarayan, warned the doctors and nurses who have purposefully escaped from working at a time when their services are critical, will find their licences and registrations getting suspended.
The minister, who also happens to be in-charge of COVID centres in the city, held an important meeting with officials to discuss about the arrangements at the Covid Care centres and problems encountered there. He said that the government has already given clear instructions to the medical council and nursing council seeking to relieve the nurses and doctors who have run away from discharging their duties from their professions with immediate effect.
DCM Dr C N Ashwathnarayan
"As this is an infectious disease, coronavirus infection has been spreading fast and wide. The responsibility of treating the patients rests on the doctors. At a time when the entire medical fraternity is fighting to exercise control over the disease, owning careless stand on the issue is simply inhuman. Why they do not realise that the situation may go out of hands in future? At this crisis-like situation when the number of infected persons is rising, the private doctors are not right in dithering from serving the COVID patients. It is war-like situation in the state and this is the time when everyone has to work with service-mindedness. It is wrong to leave the infected persons high and dry. The government will not tolerate this behaviour. Names of doctors, nurses and other staff who do not report for duties immediately will be published," he warned.
The DCM said that the Covid care centres in the city have 2,624 beds where infected persons are being treated. "As against 86 doctors required to man these centres, only 61 are available as of now. We need 134 nurses and the availability is only 54. There is shortfall of 80 nurses. As the others have escaped from doing their duties, those who are working are under pressure. The patients too face problems," he stated.
"For every 100 patients, one doctor and two nurses are needed. Medical education department has to provide the staff. The health department has been asked to provide medicines, PPE kits, masks, oximeter etc. The officials have been asked to attend to disposal of biomedical waste, food, housekeeping and other issues relating to these centres," he explained.