BSY to decide on Bengaluru lockdown extension even as ministers rule it out

Lockdown

Bengaluru has been in lockdown from July 14 and is expected to end on July 22.

TNM Staff

The lockdown imposed in Bengaluru is set to end at 5 am on Wednesday morning but residents in the city are anxiously waiting to find out if the lockdown will be extended.  Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa will decide on the extension of the lockdown imposed in Bengaluru on Tuesday after a meeting with ministers and officers, Medical Education Minister Sudhakar K said while addressing reporters on Monday evening. Earlier on Monday, several Karnataka ministers ruled out an extension to the lockdown. Revenue Minister R Ashoka and Medical Education Minister Sudhakar K reiterated that the lockdown will end on Wednesday. "Lockdown will not be extended after July 22 morning in Bengaluru," he told reporters after a review meeting of the COVID-19 situation in Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts at his home office. Sudhakar, however, added that the night curfew from 8 pm. to 5 am will continue daily and total lockdown will be observed on Sundays till August 2 across the state. On the advice of health experts, the state government re-imposed the lockdown from 8 pm on July 14 to 5 am on July 22 to contain the surging COVID-19 cases in the city in the 'unlock' period since June 1. Asserting that lockdown was not a solution to control the pandemic, Yediyurappa on July 17 said it would not be extended beyond July 22 morning. But it remains to be seen whether the Chief Minister has changed his mind amid a large number of COVID-19 cases in Bengaluru. Of the 3,648 new cases registered across the state on Monday. Bengaluru accounted for 1,452 cases taking the city’s tally to 33,229, including 24,574 active cases. As far as fatalities go due to COVID-19, 698 patients have died so far, with 31 deaths reported on Monday. The Chief Minister, however, urged the citizens to stay at home during the lockdown, and wear masks, wash hands and maintain social distancing if going out for buying essentials or on an emergency work. Karnataka's COVID-19 tally touched 67,420, including 42,216 active cases. There were 72 deaths reported across the state on Monday, taking the state’s total fatalities to 1,403. With IANS inputs

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/30uQ1bo
via IFTTT

22-year-old Bengaluru woman delivers stillborn in autorickshaw outside hospital

Health

While the pregnant woman’s mother alleged that they were made to wait outside KC General Hospital, the Medical Superintendent said the baby had died days ago and not during labour.

TNM Staff

A 22-year-old Bengaluru woman delivered a stillborn baby inside an autorickshaw outside KC General Hospital in Bengaluru on Monday. Nivedha, a resident of Srirampura, had visited KC General Hospital at 2 am on Monday morning when she was told by hospital authorities that her baby was dead. She left along with her family to seek a second opinion and visited Victoria Hospital but she was turned away since it is a designated COVID-19 hospital. She then visited a maternity clinic in Srirampura where she was once again turned away and asked to visit KC General Hospital.  Nivedha returned to KC General Hospital at 8:45 am on Monday morning by which time she was undergoing unbearable pain. Nivedha's mother Kumuda told Times of India that they were made to wait outside KC General Hospital when they returned in the morning. Nivedha delivered the stillborn baby inside the autorickshaw before she was admitted in KC General Hospital, where she is currently stable and recovering. Venkateshiah, Medical Superintendent of KC General Hospital, stated that doctors at the hospital observed fetal maceration, a sign that the baby died days ago and not during labour. "We enquired about this incident and we were told that the gynaecologist informed the family when they visited the hospital at 2:30 am that the child is dead. The family sought a second opinion and this caused a lapse of 6 hours. When the family returned at 8:45 am, the woman was in the second to third stage and the process of delivery was started inside the auto outside the labour ward. It was completed after she was admitted at the hospital," Venkateshaiah told TNM The Medical Superintendent said that the mother is currently stable and recovering at the hospital. Hospital authorities stated that the family disagreed with the advice given by doctors. "She had no symptoms of COVID-19 but we also handle pregnancies among COVID-19 patients. We have treated 12 such pregnant patients too," Venkateshaiah, Medical Superintendent, added. The incident occurred on a day Medical Education Minister Sudhakar K announced that 118 pregnant women who tested positive for coronavirus had delivered babies at the Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru. All 118 babies tested negative, Sudhakar said.  He also urged private hospitals to take up deliveries of women who tested positive for COVID-19. Opposition leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah urged the state government to take action against the hospitals which denied treatment to the woman. "A pregnant woman, who was experiencing labour pain, was denied treatment by many hospitals in Bengaluru. She lost her newborn baby after delivering it in an autorickshaw. I urge the CM to take action against all those hospitals that denied treatment," Siddaramaiah said.    A pregnant woman, who was experiencing labour pain, was denied treatment by many hospitals in Bengaluru. She lost her newborn baby after delivering it in an autorickshaw.@CMofKarnataka, I urge you to take action against all those hospitals that denied treatment. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/mplS2mLUU6 — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) July 20, 2020

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2ZLKptZ
via IFTTT

K’taka ASHA workers’ strike enters day 11, demand protective equipment, better wages

Coronavirus

The workers are also asking for a financial relief package for families of the ASHA workers, who have got the virus.

TNM Staff

ASHA Worker in Uttara Kannada, Karnataka

The ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers union is on strike demanding the government for fair wages and proper equipment, as they go to the most inaccessible places in order to conduct health surveys and provide essential health services to expecting and new mothers, on behalf of the state government. Nagalakshmi, Ballari state secretary says, “This is a strike not only for us but for the health of the entire state. We have been on continuous strike for the past 10 days, and our workers are all with us in strength. The government should give us equipment as we carry out our duty during COVID times. Many of the ASHA workers have also got the virus, so we are asking for some kind of financial relief package for families of the ASHA workers.” This comes amid reports of five pourakarmikas in Bengaluru having passed away due to lack of protective equipment. Besides, ASHA workers have demanded better wages. “The main demand continues to be that the government should give us a minimum honorarium of Rs 12,000 per month,” Nagalakshmi said. ASHA workers are considered as ‘volunteers’ by the government, and are paid on a rated scale, based on whether they carried out the vaccinations or the distribution of information to the public. After a lot of protests and demands, they were granted an honorarium of Rs 5000. However, this is only if they carry out their  duties. With the arrival of COVID, there has been no rating of the work they do and union leaders say that they essentially ‘worked for free’, over the past four to five months of the coronavirus pandemic. “COVID work is not rated work, there is no fixed price for it and we are not able to make ends meet without pay from the government,” Nagalakshmi added. This is not the first time that ASHA workers have asked for higher wages for the essential services rendered by them. Somashekar K Yadgiri, state President of the ASHA workers union said, “We had submitted these same demands to the government during the budget, but though the minister assured us that our demands would be met, we are still fighting for the basics. We have not got any proper response from the Health Minister.” Somashekar says this is a health emergency but the government is completely silent. “They have given false promises to the women. The reason we are having such a strong strike is because the women have so little equipment that they cover their faces with sarees. The government has given no other equipment besides about three disposable masks. There are no gloves or face shields distributed to the workers,” he added. The ASHA workers strike has elicited support of many leaders cutting across party lines, including from the ruling BJP and the Congress.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/3fHWqpX
via IFTTT

‘Surprise’ billing fix likely out of next Covid-19 package as fight over tests plays out

"Surprise" billing protections appear as stuck as ever, with powerful health industry interests gridlocked.

from Health Care https://ift.tt/3hi3B8G
via IFTTT

Karnataka reports slight decrease in COVID-19 cases, 1452 cases in Bengaluru

Coronavirus

The number of cases reported in Dakshina Kannada (98) and Udupi (89) in coastal Karnataka decreased on Monday.

TNM Staff

PTI : Image for representation

  Karnataka reported a slight decrease in COVID-19 cases on Monday, with 3648 new cases of which 1452 were recorded in Bengaluru. The state had reported 4120 and 4537 cases in the two preceding days, while Bengaluru reported over 2,000 cases in each of the last four days. The cases reported on Monday took the total number of active COVID-19 cases in Bengaluru to 25,574 while the state is now grappling with 42,216 cases. Seventy-two deaths were reported in the state while 730 patients recovered after being infected with the virus. 1403 COVID-19 patients have died in the state while over 23,000 patients have made a full recovery. Elsewhere, cases were reported in Ballari (234), Bengaluru Rural (208), Dharwad (200), and Vijayapura (160). The number of cases reported in Dakshina Kannada (98) and Udupi (89) in coastal Karnataka decreased on Monday. Medical Education Minister Sudhakar K announced on Monday that Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru had conducted 118 deliveries of pregnant women and that all newborn babies tested negative for coronavirus. He called for private hospitals to treat pregnant women in the time of need. He also promised that the salaries of Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers will be hiked in the near future. As many as 20,572 RT-PCR tests were conducted in the state on Monday and Sudhakar K promised that testing in containment zones will be increased. There are currently 6160 containment zones in Bengaluru of which 2014 are in Bengaluru South. 

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/30wQ9aa
via IFTTT

Staff at Bengaluru's Victoria Hospital protest lack of COVID-19 quarantine facilities

Coronavirus

The workers, who are employed on a contract basis, said that as many as 10 of them had tested positive for the virus.

TNM Staff

Housekeeping staff at Bengaluru's Victoria Hospital held a protest on Monday, raising concerns over a number of the staff members testing positive for the coronavirus.  The workers, who are employed on a contract basis, staged a protest outside the main building of the hospital in Bengaluru on Monday calling for better facilities for workers who are putting their lives at risk on COVID-19 duty.  The hospital in central Bengaluru has been the designated hospital for COVID-19 patients in the city since the first case was reported in March this year. It was only in June that the Karnataka government added 16 government hospitals and several private hospitals to the list of COVID-19 hospitals. “We are staging a protest because we have been working for over four months now. We do one week of duty and then we are quarantined for a week. On the fifth day of quarantine, we are tested for COVID-19. In the last three weeks, we have had around 10 people test positive for the virus,” said Meena, one of the protesting staff members.  On Sunday, as many as six housekeeping staff members tested positive for the virus, Meena added. There are 250 contract workers at the hospital who are involved in housekeeping work.  The workers are tasked with the maintenance and cleaning of the building. They said that those who test positive among them are not given adequate facilities in the general ward, which is, reportedly, in stark contrast to facilities provided to permanent staff members, like doctors and nurses who test positive for the virus.  Over 30 doctors at Victoria Hospital have tested positive for the virus, a doctor working in the hospital told TNM. Advocate and activist Lekha Adavi told TNM that contract workers are being used increasingly for COVID-19 duty. “Contract workers are tasked with COVID-19 duty while permanent staff are given other work. After doing COVID duty, they are not given proper treatment or quarantine facilities,” Lekha said. A protest was also held by housekeeping staff at National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru on Monday.   Read: Bengaluru: NIMHANS staff protest against lack of insurance cover, isolation facility The situation is similarly worrying at the KC General Hospital, another government hospital in Bengaluru which is treating COVID-19 patients. As many as 15 nurses in the hospital have tested positive for the virus, causing a shortage in the number of nurses treating patients.  In a video that was shared widely, a nurse at the hospital is seen asking Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar to provide more nurses since two nurses were managing as many as 112 patients.  Read: Watch: KC General Hospital staff reveal staff shortage to K’taka Minister Sudhakar  

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2WBsMLs
via IFTTT

South West Railway runs train that's 1.25 km in length for first time

Railways

The long haul train covered a distance of about 250 kms in 4. 5 hours at an average speed of 56 kmph.

TNM Staff

In a historic feat for the South Western Railways, a train of 1.25 km length, pulled by four engines, was run between Hosapate in Ballari district and Tinaighat of Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka. The Railways said the operation within the Hubbali Division of SWR was the first long haul train in the entire zone. “Composition of more than one standard goods train formation consists of 59 wagons. Any composition of train more than this is defined as Long Haul train. The constituent trains may be empty or loaded. The running of long haul trains will help in reducing the congestion in busy sections thereby increasing the throughput,” E Vijaya, Deputy General Manager, South Western Railways said in a press statement. 1.25 km is the standard length of two goods trains. The statement added, “On July 19, Hubballi division of SWR ran a long haul train equivalent to 2 goods trains with total 117 wagons, 2 brakevans train with four locomotive engines (2 leading and 2 in the middle) between Hosapete and Tinaighat. The long haul train left Hosapete at 2:35 pm and reached Tinaighat at 7:25 pm. The long haul train covered a distance of about 250 kms in 4.5 hours at an average speed of 56 kmph.” Officials said the success of this exercise means that SWR can cope with line congestion on rail routes and the ever-increasing demand of wagons at loading points. It has an added advantage of increasing the speed of rolling stock as a result of a reduction in the number of trains. This will save a path on this busy section. Chitresh Srivastava, a railway policy columnist, said with the current availability of high power locomotive engines these trains will make Railways a viable competition for road and air cargo ways till dedicated freight corridors (DFCs) are made ready. “From the economic point of view, this is a positive step as freight is more profitable than passengers. Overall this would make the best use of capacity and improve punctuality within sections. And tomorrow as the government may be willing for private players to come, congested lines may prove to be a non-starter for them to run trains. So till the DFC is ready, this will act as an ad hoc measure to improve operations overall,” he told TNM.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/32ET4jM
via IFTTT