Hunt for beds: BBMP eyes private medical colleges

Civic body seeks to convert them into dedicated COVID-19 Care Centres

The ferocious spread of COVID-19 in Bengaluru – 16,662 new cases and 124 deaths on Friday alone –has civic officials on edge. With the day-on-day rise in the number of reported cases straining the limits of the existing medical infrastructure, the BBMP has proposed to the Karnataka government to take over the 12 private medical colleges in the city and convert them into dedicated COVID-19 hospitals. A senior health official told The Hindu that the increase in caseload was more than anticipated. “The numbers are beyond what even the expert committee predicted. We have around 8,000 beds and are working towards increasing the number to 11,000. However, given the rate of spread, we may need more beds,” the official said. It is in the backdrop of this desperate and volatile situation that senior health officials have proposed to take over the 12 private medical colleges.