Govt appoints senior official to set up 500 ICU beds for Covid patients

New team will leverage CSR funds to augment beds in each BBMP zone

The state government has appointed Harsha P S, Commissioner of Information and Public Relations, as the nodal officer to set up 500 ICU beds for Covid patients in each BBMP zone.

Harsha told DH that his team is leveraging Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds to increase the beds, adding that several corporate houses have come forward to support the initiative.

“Texas Instruments has come forward to set up a modular ICU unit with 86 critical care beds at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases,” he said.

Other companies have promised to fund 69 ICU beds at the Leprosy Hospital, Epidemic Disease Hospital and Jayanagar General, he said.

Asked how the location is identified, Harsha said the team has planned to convert general beds in government hospitals and medical colleges into oxygenated and ICU beds.

He said this would reduce the turnaround time and prevent deployment of additional manpower since existing staff can be used along with final-year medical students.

He also pointed out that the kind of facility set-up at a hospital would depend
on the CSR partner.

Besides CSR funds, Harsha said the government is also receiving donations in the form of medical equipment, which would be used in creating ICU beds.

Channelise CSR funds

The team is constantly communicating with several corporate houses to channelise the available CSR funds toward bed augmentation.

“Collaborating with all of them to increase scale and speed is our main challenge,” Harsha explained.

“The team is working on a war footing. We will set up as many beds as possible and as quickly as possible,” the official added.