KARNATAKA HAS been under siege since the second wave of the pandemic struck in April. New cases have been surging, from 4,231 on April 1 to 47,930 on May 9. The worst-hit has been Bengaluru, where critical patients are being ferried from one hospital to another in search of oxygen, ventilators and ICU facilities.
The desperation is such that some people even drove ambulances, carrying their loved ones who were gasping for breath, to the chief minister’s residence. Amid the healthcare logjam, even the city’s high and mighty are finding it difficult to find beds and treatment facilities.
Since the state government had been in a stupor for months, even aggressive efforts to pool treatment facilities could ensure only 11,693 hospital beds across Bengaluru. People are battling not just the virus, but a complacent and allegedly corrupt administrative system.
Tejasvi Surya, Bengaluru South MP and BJP leader, recently said he had unearthed a bed allocation scam in a Covid-19 war room run by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). More shocking than the allegation itself was that Surya gave a “communal twist” to it, naming 17 Muslim workers who were part of the war room, demanding to know how they were recruited, and alleging that there was rampant corruption in allotting beds.
The allegation caused a furore; the accused were soon suspended and investigation ordered. While Surya has been accused of playing communal politics, his allegation has inadvertently paved the way for the much-needed systemic reforms that Bengaluru urgently needs. Every day, around 20,000 new cases are reported in the city, while more than 8,000 patients (and nearly 19,000 across the state) have died.
Denne historien er fra May 23, 2021-utgaven av THE WEEK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra May 23, 2021-utgaven av THE WEEK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Trump And The Crisis Of Liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
