(This story originally appeared in on Apr 27, 2021)It was hailed as the emerging global hub for healthcare innovations and projected as the best destination for medical tourism. But the stark reality is that Bengaluru’s healthcare system is currently crumbling in the Covid-19 second wave. At least 500-600 persons search desperately for ICU beds every day, furnaces in crematoria are on the brink of melting, doctors and data operators are exhausted and people have been reduced to psychological wrecks. Though the state government on Monday announced a fortnight’s lockdown to stall the total collapse of medical infrastructure, the big question is: How did Bengaluru reach this breaking point?