II PU paper leak: 3 persons including Minister's PA arrested

Bengaluru, Jun 23: In an attempt to avoid exploitation of patients affected with coronavirus, the Karnataka government on Tuesday announced fixing charges that could be collected from patients by the private hospitals for treatment in the State.

There are now two sets of rates for patients--those who are referred by public health facilities and those who approach private hospitals directly.

According to the notification issued by State Chief Secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar on Tuesday, 50 per cent of the total beds in private hospitals having facilities to treat Covid-19 patients shall be reserved for the treatment of patients referred by public health authorities.

This will include the high-dependency unit and ICU (intensive care unit) beds both with and without ventilators. The hospitals may utilise the remaining Covid beds for admitting Covid-19 patients privately.

Bengaluru, Apr 5: Fake news spreads faster and more easily nowadays through the internet, social media and instant messaging and such news about the COVID-19 pandemic have been labeled a dangerous “infodemic”.

These messages may contain useless, incorrect or even harmful information and advice, which can hamper the public health response and add to social disorder and division.

Asking people to avoid fake news on COVID-19, Hemant Nimbalkar IPS, IGP and Additional Commissioner of Police (Administration), shared a photo on his Twitter page and wrote, “One Mask For Ear Too"

Bengaluru, Apr 5: Opening of Karnataka's borders to Kerala at this point in time will be like "embracing death," chief minister B S Yediyurappa said on Saturday making clear his government's stand not opening the state border.

The chief minister repeatedly said that for his government interest of the people of the state was supreme.

Yediyurappa made his stand clear in a letter to former prime minister and JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda.

Gowda had recently written to the chief minister on March 31 seeking relaxation of the border restrictions on "humanitarian" grounds.

He had also written to Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressing his anguish against Karnataka authorities for imposing restriction and promising to raise the matter with prime minister Narendra Modi.

Stating the decision to close the border was not sudden, Yediyurappa said, it was a conscious decision after analysing the health situation in the area following the spread of COVID-19.

The chief minister cited the Indian Medical Association, Mangaluru branch data regarding the spread of Covid-19 in Kasargod of Kerala and surrounding areas which was alarming.

Noting that the region has nearly 106 positive coronaviruscases, he said, "this is the region with most number of infections in the country."

If this restriction is removed, it puts the health of the people of Karnataka in to risk and create a situation of "embracing death", so we will not be able to open the border, Yediyurappa said.

He also clarified that there was no prejudice behind his government's decision, and the interest of the people of the state was of utmost importance.

"...There is also no political maliciousness. We want to have good and brotherly relationship with neighbouring states," he said, adding that opening the border will open a pandora's box that will be disastrous for the state.

Yediyurappa also thanked opposition parties for their support to his government in its fight against COVID-19.