As Covid-19 cases shoot up in Maharashtra, in a new order issued by the BMC, all private hospitals have been ordered to increase their share of beds for Covid-19 patients due to increasing demands from “non-slum areas” and prepare for the worst.
BMC commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal has directed 142 private hospitals in Mumbai to restore their maximum number of Covid beds by January 10. The BMC staff will begin inspection of private facilities from January 11 if directions have been followed.
In the order, Chahal said, “The cases of new variant of concern (Omicron) are increasing day after day since December 21, 2021 in Mumbai. In view of further projected upsurge, the capacity of beds needs to be augmented. Considering the fact that approximately 10 to 12% patients are symptomatic and they required hospitalisation, the requirement of hospital beds is likely to increase substantially. Since more than 95% cases are being detected from non-slum areas there is increasing demand of seeking beds in private hospital. Patients are reluctant to go to Covid jumbo hospitals and BMC hospitals.”
The BMC commissioner said that symptomatic Covid patients have raised the need for Covid beds in private hospitals. “Therefore, all private hospitals are hereby directed that they shall immediately spruce up the number of Covid beds to the highest level which existed during the peak of the second wave in 2021,” he said.
“I wish to place on record that private hospitals have done outstanding work in handling the pandemic in Mumbai since May 2020. Therefore, I humbly request all private hospitals to rise to the occasion and maintain their credibility in the eyes of citizens of Mumbai. I would also like to mention here that the present third wave of Covid in Mumbai may not last for more than 4 – 5 weeks as per experience of South Africa,” Chahal told privated hospitals.
Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar on Tuesday warned of imposing a lockdown if the state capital’s daily Covid-19 case count breaches the 20,000-mark.
She also warned that localised lockdown could be imposed if people continue to throng public places like beaches, grounds, gardens, parks, etc, where entry restrictions have been imposed between 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. since last week.
Maharashtra on Wednesday reported 26,538 fresh coronavirus positive cases, including 15,166 in Mumbai, the highestever daily count in the metropolis, and eight fatalities, civic officials and the state health department said. Compared with Tuesday, the fresh cases in Maharashtra rose by 43.71 per cent or 8,072 in absolute numbers on Wednesday. With these additions, the state’s COVID19 tally rose to 67,57,032, while the death toll increased to 1,41,581, it said. Mumbai’s overall coronavirus infection count jumped to 8,33,628, while the death toll increased to 16,384, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said in a bulletin.
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