Bengaluru: BBMP pourakarmika dies of COVID-19, third in a week

Bengaluru, July 17: A 28-year-old sanitation worker in Bengaluru's local civic body, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) passed away to Covid-19 on Thursday.

The worker, named Shilpa Prasad, was a resident of Chinnappa Garden near Benson Town and used to work as a pourakarmika in the Vishwanath Nagenahalli area (BBMP Ward 22) in the city.

Shilpa had fever and skipped work last week, one of her kin said. She had taken a Covid-19 test on Monday, the results came positive two days later.

"Soon after the test results were declared on Wednesday, Shilpa and her husband Prasad, who is a cab driver, tried contacting several hospitals but were unsuccessful in finding a bed," the kin alleged.

After several hours, they were admitted to Dr B R Ambedkar Medical College "with minimal help from BBMP officials".

The relative alleged as Shilpa was not put on a ventilator she died.

According to the IndianExpress.com report, a BBMP official said Shilpa's admission to the hospital was arranged by the local civic body. "Her health deteriorated five hours after admission to the hospital, and she succumbed in the early hours of Thursday".

Spokesperson of B R Ambedkar Medical College also denied the kin's allegations saying, "We had informed her family on the non-availability of a ventilator, as all were occupied, advising her to seek treatment from another hospital. However, the family insisted we admitted her and begin treatment. Unfortunately, she passed away".

Shilpa's death has added worries to pourakarmikas in BBMP, who have been demanding better safety arrangements and working conditions for days.

Meanwhile, at least five BBMP workers, including two other pourakarmikas and two staff members deployed for garbage collection, have died due to Covid-19 in the last week.
With 4,169 new Covid-19 infections, Karnataka on Thursday crossed the 50,000 mark and reported 104 deaths.The death toll crossed 1,000-mark.

The number of active cases also breached the 30,000 mark with 30,655 active cases.

There have been 19,729 discharges so far. 539 patients are in the ICU with Bengaluru alone accounting for 317 patients needing intensive care.