Serve at KIMS voluntarily, Jagadish Shettar urges private doctors

DHARWAD: Large and medium industries minister Jagadish Shettar has called upon private doctors to voluntarily offer their services at Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), where it is proposed to increase the number of beds to treat Covid-19 patients.
After a meeting with officials to review the Covid situation in the district here on Tuesday, Shettar told TOI that there is demand for increasing the number of beds at KIMS to treat Covid patients.Steps are being taken to increase the number from 250 to 500.
“Further increasing beds and intake of patients will lead to shortage of doctors. To overcome the problem, I appeal to private doctors to offer their services at KIMS voluntarily” he said.
Shettar said he has also appealed to private hospitals to make provision for treating more Covid patients and the response has been good. He said the rapid antigen test has been used to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus and not to harass anyone. Instead of sealing down shops where people have tested positive, the shopkeeper has been asked to voluntarily seal down the premises for 48 hours and get the place sanitized, he said.
Shettar said the recovery rate has been 50 per cent in the district and the number of deaths has been on the decline. To a question, Shettar said a training session for 380 newly recruited police constables at the Police Training Centre in Dharwad has been halted after many trainees tested positive. TOI had reported about over 100 trainees and faculty at the PTC getting infected.
‘No dearth of urea in district’
Shettar said there was no shortage of chemical fertilizers like urea in the district and steps are being taken to meet farmers’ demand for fertilizer. He said the normal requirement of urea is 17,000 metric tonnes and so far, 24,000 MT has been supplied. Additional quantity will be procured as Union minister for chemical fertilizers DV Sadanand Gowda has agreed to meet the additional demand, Shettar said. He also urged farmers not to panic.
‘Maintain peace’
Shettar appealed to people to maintain peace and harmony during the bhoomi puja for the construction of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya scheduled on Wednesday. "This is an historical occasion and needs to be celebrated with reverence,” he said.