Bengaluru, May 11 (IANS) Finally after several people complained about a bed shortage in hospitals, Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Tuesday directed hospital authorities to take steps to vacate all those patients who are staying in hospitals beyond 20-days.

These directions came after his visit to the Bengaluru West division Covid war room in Malleshwaram here, Yediyurappa said that he had come to know from war room data that about 835 patients were occupying beds beyond 20 days in the West division of Bengaluru.

According to him, the west division war room data shows that 9,242 patients were admitted in various hospitals so far and of these 6,500 patients are admitted since 10 days, whereas 503 patients are being treated anywhere between beyond 10 to 20 days and 332 patients are getting treatment in hospitals beyond 21 to 30 days.

"What is the need for these 332 patients to remain in the hospital for 30 days? Similarly what is the need for those 503 patients in the hospital for beyond 20 days?," he questioned.

He said that the doctors and hospitals must take steps to vacate at least those who are staying beyond 15 to 20 days and make way for new patients

Answering a question, Yediyurappa said that doctors must inform these patients to vacate beds.

"Beyond 10-days anybody stays should be discharged as after this duration one needs medication support and home care and such patients do not need hospital care at all," he explained.

Yediyurappa said those 503 patients who have been staying in the hospital beyond 21 days and 30 days are in the hospital despite doctors advising their discharge.

"These patients must make way for others. They should be told that the treatment was over and they should go home paving the way for admission of serious ones," he said without explaining much.

He added that the Covid war room has generated information about those patients who can avail treatment at home but were staying put in the hospital depriving serious patients from getting treatment.

Terming the Covid War Room management in Karnataka was one of the best in the country, the CM said data generated in war rooms in Karnataka are accurate and giving every detail on a real-time basis about the number of people admitted, for how long they are there and the availability of beds in the hospitals for Covid patients.

"We are operating this war room in a systematic manner, which probably cannot be seen anywhere in the country," he said.

The Chief Minister's visit to the Covid War Room came after his own partymen including BJP's Bengaluru South MP L. S. Tejasvi Surya alleged that the 'cash for bed scam' was a reality in Bengaluru in private hospitals where a few War Room staff colluded with the hospitals and civic officials to block the government quota of beds.

Those beds were 'sold' to the needy for a hefty bribe somewhere between Rs 50,000 to over Rs one lakh, he had alleged.

Acting on this expose by ruling party members, the Bengaluru Central Crime Branch police has arrested seven persons including doctors in this connection and the police has also interrogated nearly two dozen persons working in hospitals and Covid war rooms.

--IANS nbh/ash