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GPs, volunteers, priests: Mumbra’s Covid warriors
On April 3, Mumbra reported its first case of Covid-19. Soon enough, the number of cases increased. In May, there were 351 Covid-positive cases and 547 were recorded
On April 3, Mumbra reported its first case of Covid-19. Soon enough, the number of cases increased. In May, there were 351 Covid-positive cases and 547 were recorded in June. Yet in the past three weeks, the daily caseload from this congested suburb has been less than 10. In July, Mumbra has reported 193 cases so far. From struggling to implement the lockdown to containing Covid-19, the success story in Mumbra was made possible by local volunteers, general physicians (GPs) and Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) working in tandem.
Mumbra, with its 9 lakh population, is approximately 31 kilometres from Mumbai and lags behind in terms of development and infrastructure. The area saw an influx of residents after the 1992 riots in Mumbai, when many Muslim families fled to Mumbra. Today, 80% of the population is Muslim and many live in unauthorized chawls and vertical slums.
When the lockdown was initially announced, residents of Mumbra did not take the threat of Covid-19 seriously, say locals. “Till Ramzan [April 24 to May 24], the markets were flooded, there was no social distancing,” said Mumbra-resident Imran Hakim. When TMC attempted to survey neighbourhoods to detect patients, locals refused to cooperate. Barricades set up around containment zones were occasionally torn down, said assistant municipal commissioner of Mumbra, Mahesh Aher. On April 10, TMC actually locked over 38 buildings – with lock and key – to keep residents inside. However, the number of cases kept rising. “The number of cases increased the most in May, during Ramzan, after which we started the strict implementation [of lockdown],” said Aher.
Faced with these obstacles, TMC took help from locals: GPs who kept their clinics open; volunteers who helped the civic body conduct its surveys; and maulvis who spread awareness regarding Covid-19 with their morning calls to prayer.
Hakim, 32, is among the 30 volunteers who worked with TMC to survey residents. “People were not allowing the survey in most areas so the corporation hired us volunteers who went door to door to convince people. Most residents knew us and were more open to us. We surveyed the residents of the buildings where positive cases were found, especially targeting those who are old or have comorbidities. We explained to them the consequences of not allowing the survey,” said Hakim.
Another volunteer Haroon Dalvi, 30, said, “Gradually, we along with TMC officials managed to reach out and convince most people, especially in areas like Chand Nagar, Rashid Compound and Amrut Nagar where there were more cases than in the rest of Mumbra. We also sanitized each and every building where positive cases were found. The temperature and oxygen levels of the people in the building were recorded.”
Mumbra has one dedicated Covid hospital (Kalsekar Hospital) and one Covid care centre (at Kausa Stadium). Hemange Ghode, medical officer at Kausa Stadium, said, “We did not allow home quarantine in Mumbra at all. Compulsory institutional quarantine was imposed. This helped prevent the spread. Extensive screening, contact tracing, cracking down on violators and compulsory quarantine helped to flatten the curve. We also kept a tab on migrants who left and also on those who are now returning. It is true that people don’t listen 100%, but in Mumbra, we have managed to convince 70% residents to stay at home.”
Local GPs have played a big part in tracing and counselling patients. Dr Moinuddin Raut, 49, president of Medical Practitioners’ Association, said that while most GPs across Thane city closed down their clinics, those in Mumbra remained open. “There was lot of fear of being quarantined among people, due to which they did not visit fever clinics or any TMC-run medical camps. People are always comfortable sharing their illness with their family physician and with this motive, we opened all clinics in Mumbra. Residents trust these family physicians and got treated for most ailments. We also counselled those with Covid-like symptoms to get tested and treated.” Only doctors who are above 55 years of age did not keep their clinics open.
Asif Shaikh, 32, a resident of Amrut Nagar in Mumbra, said, “There were many cases of malaria and typhoid. GPs helped reduce these cases. Senior citizens who had comorbidities like diabetes or blood pressure also could seek help from their regular GPs.”
To curb the spread of Covid-19 through overcrowding in markets and bylanes, TMC imposed heavy fines and set up barricades. Aher said, “We imposed a fine of Rs 15,000 on shopkeepers who violated lockdown. People were fined Rs500 for not wearing masks and crowding vegetable markets. We collected over Rs.7.5 lakh as fines and over 15 cases under section 188 were registered against people who tried to obstruct surveys.”
A police official from Mumbra said approximately 200 cases were registered against those violating lockdown restrictions and patrolling was increased. Teams of police officers also worked to spread awareness in over 5,000 buildings in Mumbra.
TMC also set up a perimeter of 250 metres around containment zones and those within this area were not allowed to leave even for essentials. “Essentials were delivered near the barricades and one person was allowed to carry them inside. We also appointed five nodal officers in charge of co-ordinating contact tracing, transportation of people to quarantine centres, implementation of containment zones, coordination with general practitioners and to crackdown on violators,” said Aher.
The corporation used mobile apps and global positioning system (GPS) to track Covid-positive patients.
Mumbra now accounts for 1,142 of Thane’s 16,542 positive cases. At Kausa Stadium, where patients with mild symptoms are admitted, 225 have been admitted altogether and 150 have been discharged. There are 91 active patients at present. So far, Mumbra has had 74 deaths due to Covid-19.
