Kalyan-Dombivli to get medical college, hospital akin to those in Mumbai, says Maharashtra health minister

The twin cities of Kalyan-Dombivli will soon get help from the state to construct a medical college and hospital on par with those in Mumbai, said Maharashtra state

The twin cities of Kalyan-Dombivli will soon get help from the state to construct a medical college and hospital on par with those in Mumbai, said Maharashtra state health minister Rajesh Tope.

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Tope, who was in Kalyan to review the Covid-19 situation in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) jurisdiction, expressed satisfaction that the city has shown marked improvement in recovery and flattened the curve.

He said, “Healthcare infrastructure in urban areas is our priority, for which we have decided to give permission to use the reserved plots in the city to develop a 500-bed hospital under the public-private partnership basis. The hospital will have reserved beds for free treatment to the low income group. KDMC, like Mumbai, will also be allowed to develop a medical college-cum-hospital in the coming months.”

Tope pointed out that once a hotspot, the Covid cases in KDMC are now under control. The number of cases, which was 500 to 600 per day in September, is now down to 100-150 per day.

Tope added, “The fatality rate is also low at 1.99 per cent, the doubling rate is 300 days and the recovery rate is 96 per cent. There is a lot of improvement due to the efforts put in by the civic body. We cannot rule out the possibility of increase in cases once Diwali is over. If there is an increase in cases to 900 daily, the civic body should be ready with the accommodation facilities,” added Tope.

KDMC requested for the appointment of a medical officer and a physician from the state, which Tope agreed to follow up. He also assured to develop a dedicated hospital for epidemics in Thane in the near future.

“There is a need to improve the healthcare infrastructure in Thane and nearby cities. Primary talks for building an epidemic hospital in Thane are under progress,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tope also said that the decision to resume local train services and reopening of temples “will be only taken after Diwali festival”.