- Coming close on the heels of the widely covered reportages of severe shortages of beds, oxygen, ICUs, and ventilators in major metropolitan cities comes the news that some of the officials of the Bruhut Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Covid war room set for rendering all possible assistance to the infected patients are indulging in bed-blocking scandal. It should not surprise scores of people and their families who were so hard-pressed to find a bed to undergo necessary treatment from the dreaded disease. Extremely depressing visuals of suffering patients gasping for breath, beamed relentlessly by the electronic media, in search of medical intervention is still fresh in the memories of all watchers. It is a frightening situation out there.
PC: Gururaj S
- Hundreds of infected persons dying for want of timely medical attention have created tremendous panic, anxiety, and helplessness amongst the thousands who are getting infected by the day. Panic-stricken patients and families searching for beds have turned into desperate pleas to whosoever they could connect with. Unfortunately, the only answer forthcoming from the BBMP mandarins tasked to ensure affected patients are provided with relief and succor was a standard refrain mentioning nonchalantly, no beds available. All along it was suspected that something fishy was underway as regards bed allotment and the same was proved when South Bengaluru Member of Parliament along with a few of the BJP MLAs unearthed a disgraceful bed-blocking scam.
- The modus operandi followed by the unscrupulous elements was simple. Most of the infected people are under home quarantine, the Covid war room officials went about blocking the beds – both at the government as well as private hospital earmarked for covid treatment – in the name of the patients illegally. Shockingly, those illegally blocked beds were up for sale at a premium depending on the necessity of the prospective patients. Charges for each category differed based on the present levels of distress being experienced by the patients on the lookout for beds, oxygen facility, ICUs, and ventilators ranging from forty thousand to a lakh of rupees. Allotment would be made once the money was transferred over digital mediums.
PC: Tanu Kulkarni
- Most sickeningly, the bed blocking for a single patient sometimes extended to more than 10 hospitals at a time revealing the murky mindset and loathsome craving for making blood money by the officials over the unmitigated sufferings of the patients. How disgracefully and without fear of repercussions or ramifications one can stoop to such an extent can be gauged by the fact that the officials were found immune to the loss of thousands of lives owing to their unpardonable greed. It is inexplicable and unfathomable to even think how anybody can plan to make a quick buck over dead bodies. Where is the conscience or humanity that should have taken precedence over everything else by going all-out in helping the needy?
- Simply defies rational thinking when the entire humanity is facing an unprecedented situation making every effort to stay alive. The Chief Minister has acted promptly by ordering the Central Crime Branch (CCB) to investigate the whole affair threadbare. As per the reports, few arrests are already made including a couple of doctors which should be acted upon stringently sparing none. A word of appreciation is due to the efforts undertaken by the young MP in earthing the scandal though he belongs to the ruling dispensation in the state. Hopefully, there will not be any such repetitions in the future, and setting a precedent with tough actions should be the par for the course measure.
