Septuagenarian CM Yediyurappa’s Hands-On Approach Is Ensuring Karnataka Fares Better Than Many Others In Battling The Pandemic

The pandemic season while on the one hand has highlighted the flaws in the system, it has also been an eye-opener and the best test of leadership as far as heads of states are concerned.

Karnataka, despite having the country’s third highest cases more often than not through the last year, has been putting up a good show as far as the handling is concerned.

And Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, who recently recovered from a second bout of the pandemic, sure deserves credit for not just announcing lockdowns when many states were still dithering, but also for his hands-on approach to the crisis.

The 78-year-old chief minister is sure to give the younger ones who have been holding video conferences through most of the crisis season a run for their money as he has been sitting through meetings with the task force, ministers in charge and various stakeholders and personally ensuring the state handles the crisis in the best way possible.

Chairing a meeting with oxygen producers and suppliers, Yediyurappa said, as per the release, that the state will take necessary measures to ensure there is no reduction in the quota of oxygen allotted by the Centre.

Measures will be taken to ensure reduction of time in filling of oxygen tankers, creation of green corridors for free movement of oxygen tankers, instructing tolls to not restrict their movement, and conversion of nitrogen and argon tankers for transporting oxygen.

A list of LPG tanker drivers will also be prepared for emergency handling of oxygen vehicles.

Earlier today, he also received 70 corovent ventilators that were donated by the office of the Consulate of Czech Republic as well as reconstituted the Covid-19 Task Force and appointed Deputy Chief Minister Dr. C N Ashwatha Narayana as the chairperson of the same.

The Task Force, which was earlier headed by the DCM and Minister for Public Works Govinda Karjola, is tasked with examining the measures taken to contain the surge in pandemic and creating awareness among the public with regard to Covid-19 management.

Suresh Kumar S, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, C.C. Patil, Minister of Information and Public Relations, and Dr. K. Sudhakar, Minister of Health & Welfare and Medical Education work as members of the task force.

After flagging off the fourth phase of the vaccination on 1 May, Yediyurappa tweeted that the government was working to ensure availability of ‘sufficient stock of vaccine in the state and has already initiated the process of procuring 2 crore doses over and above the Centre’s allocation.”

As many as 4,000 beds will also be set up on a war footing in Bengaluru with 500 ICU beds in each of the eight BBMP zones in order to reduce the case load on existing hospitals, he said.

As many as 850 beds, including 450 oxygen and ICU beds at the former and 133 oxygen beds at KIMS, have been reserved for Covid handling, said the CM, assuring silicon city that ‘together, we will defeat the pandemic’.

After chairing a meeting with private hospital leaderships on the weekend, Yediyurappa tweeted saying the following action will be taken to enhance availability of beds and to optimise existing resources:

1. Oxygen beds will be set up at step down hospitals using portable oxygen concentrators and centralized oxygen beds will be converted into ICU beds.

2. Triaging and tele-medicine will be strengthened to ensure judicious and optimal utilisation of oxygenated and ICU beds.

3. To augment human resource and reduce burden on healthcare staff, final year medical and paramedical students will be roped in for Covid-19 related work.

4. Will provide financial support to private medical colleges to set up oxygen generation plants. Audit system will be put in place to check indiscriminate use of oxygen and Remdesivir. Strict action will be taken against black marketing and hoarding of essential drugs.

Last week, in a video conference with district in charge ministers, Deputy Commissioners, Chief Executive Officers of zilla panchayats and Superintendents of Police, Yediyurappa urged all his ministers and MLAs to donate one months' salary for Covid relief, while assuring that “funds have already been released to the DCs who have been asked to distribute medical kits to Covid-affected in home isolation“.

He also ordered the setting up of taskforces in taluka and gram panchayat levels to take care of infected people, provision of results within 24 hours and clearance of backlogs.

While the DCs were told to ensure timely oxygen supply to hospitals, he said all hospitals should conduct audits of oxygen and Remdesivir vials and ensure judicious usage of oxygenated beds, ventilators and Remdesivir.

Yediyurappa also assured that an expert group will be constituted to advise the government on prevention and mitigation of a possible third and future waves of infection.

An enquiry has been ordered into the Chamrajanagara hospital incident that left 24 people dead due to oxygen shortage yesterday.

The CM, in a tweet, assured that strict action will be taken at the earliest against those responsible and that the government will also ‘ensure that such an incident is never repeated'.