149 Taluk, 19 District hospitals to be upgraded: Karnataka Deputy CM

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], June 7 : The State Covid task force has approved to upgrade 149 taluk hospitals and 19 district hospitals in the state by spending Rs 1500 crores in view of preparing to face the possible third wave of COVID-19, Deputy Chief Minister and State Covid task force head, Dr. CN Ashwatha Narayana stated on Monday.
Addressing a press conference after convening a meeting of the task force, Narayana, informed this up-gradation has been set with a maximum timeline of three months.
The government is intended to provide maximum health facilities at the taluk level itself and up to 97 per cent special health services in district places. Out of the estimated Rs 1500 crores, around Rs 800 crores will be needed for infrastructure, and the remaining Rs 600-700 crores will be needed towards salary expenses which will be recurring every year, the Deputy Chief Minister explained.
He said, "This up-gradation will require the appointment of about 4,000 doctors, 2-3 nurses per each doctor and other staff. Diagnostic facilities will also be augmented across the state correspondingly. District hospitals will have a minimum of 100 beds all oxygenated and taluk hospitals will have a minimum of 25 oxygenated beds".
As per the National Skill Commission's decision, six skills have been listed under Covid management support skills, and in Karnataka, 5000 members who have passed classes 10 and 12 will be trained under this program. They will be given training for 3 months and a stipend of Rs 5000 per month will be paid for each trainee. There is a huge demand for these verticals and they are required in 108 ambulance services, basic life-supporting, hospitals, and as nurse assistants, he said.
Replying to a query, he told, even if the numbers of cases decline, the training centers and Covid Care Centres need to be kept in an operational state till all people get at least one dose of vaccination. That is to say, they need to remain functional till the month of December.
With regard to augmenting the health facilities in the BBMP limits, finding the land/space required is the prominent task and for this Chief Commissioner of BBMP has been asked to find the suitable lands/spaces within a timeline of 2 weeks, he informed.
The vaccination drive is being in progress and every day 6 lakh people are getting jabbed. This month state will be receiving around 80 lakh vaccines and this will be further increased in the coming months. Around 51 per cent in the age group above 45 years have been vaccinated, Narayana said.