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Maharashtra has come a long way in fight against Covid, says CM Uddhav Thackeray
The Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray has appealed to the people to take responsibility of their families and follow the safety norms to prevent Covid-19 infection.
The Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray has appealed to the people to take responsibility of their families and follow the safety norms to prevent Covid-19 infection.
He said that the state had come a long way from merely 7,500 beds in March when the pandemic broke to the present situation in fighting the infection.
Thackeray was talking at the online inauguration of the first ever RTPCR testing lab for Navi Mumbai along with five Covid centres.
Thackeray said, “In March, when the first case was detected in the state, we had only 7,500 beds. From there onwards, we have come a far way in fighting this. I am thankful to each person involved in raising various Covid facilities. In the beginning, we had only three labs in state. Today, we have around 550 of them. Lockdown has helped to break the chain and to develop these facilities for the people.”
He also said that people in the state had celebrated Ganapathi festival by following all the norms issued by the government but there have been cases at homes wherein families have got infected together while attending the arati
He appealed, “When a person steps out, he should make sure to follow all precautions for his family. We have learnt in schools to wash our feet and hands when back home, not to spit on the road. Now is the time to follow what we have learnt in school. This awareness is what I wish to spread among the people.”
He instructed the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) chief Abhijit Bangar that no asymptomatic patient should block any ICU bed using any kind of influence. He asked the NMMC to spread awareness among people and help them gain more trust on jumbo facilities so that they don’t immediately rush in hunt of a hospital and instead opt for a jumbo facility.
State-of-the-art Covid lab: cabinet minister
The new lab at Maasaheb Meenatai Thackeray Hospital in Sector 15, Nerul will bring down the cost of testing from Rs 2,200 to Rs 700 per person for the government. Testing will be free for the residents.
Along with the lab, five Covid centres including 1,003 oxygen beds, 300 normal beds and 80 ventilators were also inaugurated.
The NMMC commissioner Abhijit Bangar said, “The two government labs that did tests for us could not give more than 100 reports per day and hence we were depending on private labs. With this new lab, we will save almost Rs 1,500 per patient.”
The lab is equipped with all latest technologies.
Cabinet minister Eknath Shinde, who was present at NMMC headquarters, said, “Everyday, more than 1,000 tests can be conducted there. Around 1,400 additional beds have been added for the Navi Mumbai residents. Even the toilets at the Covid facility centres have been provided with oxygen. There are cases wherein some patients collapse in toilet or struggle for breathing. In such cases, these oxygen would be useful. WiFi too has been set up which would help the patients to make video calls to their family and give daily updates.”
NEW FACILITIES
The inaugurated beds include 200 ICU beds, of which 80 are with ventilator facility at DY Patil hospital, Nerul; 1,003 beds for Dedicated Covid Health Center (DCHC) that include Radhaswami Satsang Aashram at Sector 24 in Turbhe, Niryat Bhavan at APMC Market in Turbhe and MGM hospital in Vashi, and 302 beds for Covid Care Centre (CCC) at Paativar Samaj Bhavan in Airoli. With the news additions, NMMC now has 13 CCCs and 26 DCHCs under its jurisdiction.
