Bengaluru, May 9 (IANS): Karnataka Forest Minister Arvind Limbavali on Sunday urged Bengaluru's 198 civic ward committees to contain the surging Covid cases.
"I request volunteers, NGOs, resident welfare associations (RWAs) and the public to join hands with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in curbing the virus spread," said Limbavali at the first virtual meeting of the committees on ward decentralised triage and emergency response here.
Bengaluru has been accounting for over 50 per cent of the Covid tally, including active cases and deaths since the infection broke out last year.
"The state government has formed the ward committees to contain the virus on the lines of Mumbai and Chennai where stringent local measures helped them to reduce new cases during the pandemic's second wave," said Limbavali, who has been made in-charge of the city in fighting Covid.
Noting that every patient who tested Covid positive need not be rushed to the hospital, he said only those who are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms of the virus and don't have separate room to self-isolate at their home should be admitted into a Covid Care Centre (CCC) or stabilisation centre.
"Besides CCCs, triaging centres will be set up in all the civic wards to treat home-isolation patients in their respective areas. Decentralising zonal war rooms will help in addressing the needs of Covid patients at home and reduce cases," said Limbavali, who represents the city's Mahadevapura assembly seat.
State Revenue Secretary and BBMP's former Chief Commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad directed the civic officials to set up ward control rooms and rope in even students as volunteers in containing the pandemic.
"The city civic body should also set up triage centres and micro-Covid Care Centres to respond quickly to the concerns of the patients," he said.
BBMP's nodal officers, doctors, medical staff, auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) and Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers will work at the 141 primary health centres across the city for testing and vaccination.
The state Health and Medical Education Department will appoint staff to run the triaging centres in all the civic wards on 24x7 basis.
"Covid patients at home will be provided isolation kit and those requiring better treatment will be admitted to CCS or state-run hospitals if their condition turns serious," added Prasad.
BBMP Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta, zonal commissioners, zonal coordinators, joint commissioners, ward committee nodal officers, doctors and 400 civic officials attended the meeting.