Silvester D’Souza

Daijiworld Media Network – Kundapur (EP)

Udupi, May 5: BJP leader and Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Shobha Karandlaje on Wednesday maintained that there is no scarcity in beds or in the availability of oxygen in the district. "There is no problem in the availability of oxygen or beds in the district. There is no need for people to grow anxious. 43 hospitals in Udupi have been identified for Covid treatment. There are 1,924 beds and 960 beds equipped with oxygen across these hospitals. 245 beds and 736 oxygenated beds are vacant at present,” the MP said.

She was speaking to news reporters following the Covid management meeting held in the Kundapur taluk panchayat auditorium.

“Currently 89 people are under treatment at government hospitals and 145 people in private hospitals. A taluk level officer will be appointed as nodal officer to monitor the situation at private hospitals as there are complaints of non-availability of beds. He will oversee the situation of reserved beds and submit a report to the government from Thursday, May 6,” she said.

“There is no scarcity of Remdesivir also. They are being supplied according to the need. A decision on opening Covid Care Centres at various places in the district will be taken up soon. Hostels and the Morarji Desai Residential Schools will be transformed into Covid Care Centres. We are preparing to convert the old Kundapur Adarsh Hospital to Covid centre,” she said.

“There is a scarcity of vaccines. Their production is reduced and supply is less than the demand. Covishield is being administered on a priority basis to those who have obtained the first dose,” she said.

“Seeking admission into the ICU directly is unwise. Such problems will not arise if one gets examined soon after the symptoms appear,” said the deputy commissioner.

Deputy commissioner G Jagadeesh, district panchayat CEO, Navin Bhat, SP Vishnuvardhan, taluk panchayat president Indira Shetty, Kundapur subdivision officer K Raju and municipal council president, Veena Bhaskar Mendon were present.

Though news reporters were invited earlier, the meeting was confined only to officers, party leaders and elected representatives.

Oxygen unit to come up in Kundapur:

“An oxygen production unit will be opened in Kundapur soon. The land, for this reason, has been identified and a proposal in this respect is already submitted to the Centre,” said MP Shobha. 

She also conducted an inspection of the Kundapur government hospital premises where the unit will come up.