COVID-19: Karnataka Home Minister discusses setting up of Step Down hospitals in hotels

According to Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, step down hospitals should be step up in hotels with the help of private hospitals in the state to treat COVID-19 patients.

Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommaihas stated that "Step Down hospitals" should be set up in hotels with the help of private hospitals in the state to treat COVID-19 patients.

A virtual meeting on Wednesday was chaired by Basavaraj Bommai along with Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta to discuss the setting up of step down hospitals in hotels in the state amid the rising COVID-19 cases and subsequently increasing demand for hospital beds.

Step down facility will be used to monitor patients who are discharged from hospitals and are in stable condition.

The meeting was held with the Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (PHANA) team, along with Special Commissioner (Health) Rajendra Cholan, Chief Health officer Dr Vijendra and other zonal health officers.

In the meeting, Basavaraj Bommai stated that these Step Down hospitals in the hotels should be opened up with the support of private hospitals as soon as possible to start treating the COVID-19 patients.

He also instructed the officers to find more such facilities in their BBMP zones and gradually increase the number of beds in the Step Down hospitals too.

Chief Commissioner of BBMP said that whichever private hospitals have registered under KPME Act can tie up with the hotels in their neighbourhood and start a health facility immediately.

He further 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 the hospital and are stable can be shifted to Step Down hospitals for monitoring.

In this regard, Chief Commissioner said that on-priority hotels should be identified and PHANA (Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes association) should tie-up with hotels and increase these Step Down facilities and the number of beds in these facilities. This was also informed to the hotel associations.

The Health and Family Welfare Department will be providing necessary doctors and nurses to these facilities, said the officials. Even retired doctors and students can also be utilised in these facilities. These 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 the hotel association to increase these numbers to 2,000 beds as soon as possible and asked the Commissioner of BBMP to follow this process closely.

( With inputs from ANI )