Mangaluru: Minister in-charge of Udupi and Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday instructed the Udupi district administration to reserve 10 beds in Udupi government district hospital to treat patients affected by black fungus.
Reviewing the COVID-19 situation in Udupi through a video conference from Bengaluru, the Minister said that a person died due to black fungus infection in Udupi. Another patient with black fungus infection has been shifted for treatment to the Government Wenlock Hospital in Mangaluru. As patients infected with black fungus from other districts too are getting admitted in hospitals in Udupi district, more medicine is required for treatment and it will be supplied to the district.
The Minister said that the results of COVID-19 tests should be made available within 24 hours. With this, the spread of the infection could be prevented early.
The task forces constituted for COVID-19 management in rural areas should become more active to contain the spread in the villages. Those having less than 93% oxygen level should be shifted to hospitals and those whose oxygen level is between 93% and 95% should be shifted to COVID Care Centres, he said.
The Minister said that doctors and nurses should work in two shifts in COVID Care Centres. The Deputy Commissioner and the Chief Executive Officer of the Zilla Panchayat should hold video conference with panchayat development officers (PDOs) of five gram panchayats daily to review the COVID-19 situation in villages.
MLC K. Pratapchandra Shetty asked the government to release ₹50,000 grant to each gram panchayats at the earliest for managing COVID-19.
Doctors for villages
Meanwhile, presiding over another meeting in Udupi on Monday, Deputy Commissioner G. Jagadeesha said that the doctors and swab collectors will begin visiting villages in the district from Tuesday. The doctors will check patients having symptoms on the spot and take an appropriate decision on treatment to be given.
The Deputy Commissioner said that the doctors and other Health Department personnel should visit houses in the jurisdiction of 59 primary health centres in 155 gram panchayats. They should distribute health kits to patients.
If patients did not have the facility for isolating themselves in their houses, they should be shifted to COVID Care Centres, he said.