BMC asks 142 pvt hospitals to prep with full capacity to handle Covid-19 surge

Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal has directed all 142 private hospitals in the city to prepare for the surge in Covid-19 cases. Chahal has asked all private hospitals to prepare beds anticipating a further spike in infections in the coming days. The third wave of Covid-19 is expected to last in the city for four to five weeks on the basis of trends from South Africa where the Omicron variant was first detected, BMC officials said.
According to civic officials, as the maximum number of cases is being reported from Mumbai high-rises, there is a surge in demand for beds at private hospitals.
Chahal in his message to 142 private hospitals of the city has said, “Considering the fact that approximately 10-12% patients are symptomatic every day, the requirement of hospital beds is likely to increase sharply now. Since more than 95% cases are being detected from non-slum areas, there is tremendous demand for beds in private hospitals only. Patients are reluctant to go to Covid Jumbo Hospitals and BMC hospitals.”
“It has come to my notice that symptomatic Covid-19 patients have already started complaining of shortage of Covid-19 beds in private hospitals. Therefore, all private hospitals are hereby directed that they shall immediately spruce up the number of Covid-19 beds to the highest level which existed during the peak of the second wave in 2021,” Chahal added
According to the directions issued by the Mumbai Municipal Commissioner, all private hospitals shall restore their peak level Covid-19 beds by January 10, following which the BMC staff will start inspecting private hospitals from January 11, 2022 onwards to cross check if the number of Covid-19 beds in each private hospital has been restored to its peak level.
Referring to the third wave of infections, Chahal in his message further told the private hospitals that, “I wish to place on record that private hospitals have done outstanding work in the management of the Covid-19 pandemic in Mumbai since May 2020. Therefore, I 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 that the present third wave of Covid-19 in Mumbai may not last for more than 4-5 weeks as per experience of South Africa.”
Dr Gautam Bhansali of Bombay Hospital, who is the nodal officer of all private Covid-19 hospitals in the city said, “There are 142 private hospitals in the city that have around 5,000 beds active at the moment. At Bombay Hospital, we have 45 beds empty as on Wednesday afternoon. However, in the coming days private hospitals will be able to offer 11,000 active beds for handling COVID-19. Considering the turnaround time is very less, we will be able to discharge every patient within 4-5 days. Hence, bed availability will not be an issue.”
On the third wave not lasting for more than 4-5 weeks, Dr Rahul Pandit of Fortis Hospital who is also a member of the Maharashtra Covid-19 Task Force said, “We also feel the same considering that is how the behaviour of the virus has been so far in the past. There is high chance that the same pattern might be true this time.”
-
Bhagwant Mann marries Dr Gurpreet Kaur: Wedding over, this is the lunch menu
A spread of lip-smacking food was laid out for Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann's wedding function in Chandigarh. A food menu of the function, obtained by news agency ANI, showed that guests at the wedding were served the best of Indian cuisine including Karahi Paneer, Tandoori Kulche, Dal Makhani, Navratan Biryani, Mausami Subzian. They also got to devour some Italian dishes including the Lasagna Siciliano. This is Bhagwant Mann's second marriage.
-
‘Personal issues’ led to communal clashes in Karnataka's Kerur, says CM Bommai
A communal clash that broke out in Karnataka's Kerur was due to 'personal issues' between the two sides, chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Thursday, a day after violence erupted in the town over alleged eve-teasing. The situation in Kerur continues to be peaceful but tense, and a total of 18 people – from both the Hindu and Muslim communities – have been arrested. Overall, at least four people were injured in the clashes.
-
Odisha: 3 workers die of asphyxiation at chowmein factory in Gajapati
In a tragic incident, three people working in a chowmein factory in Gajapati district of Odisha died of asphyxiation on Wednesday night after they went to sleep while keeping the chowmein dryer machine turned on. Police officials in Gajapati said the three workers in the chowmein factory at Narayan Nagar of Mohana area had gone to sleep after putting the soggy chowmein noodles to dry in the chowmein dryer machine.
-
Bengaluru: Hebbal junction gets new traffic rules. Here are some steps to follow
The Hebbal flyover in Bengaluru - known for its traffic congestion - has finally been picked up by city authorities, who have come out with a fresh set of rules. The advisory was announced by the Bangalore Traffic Police. The same goes for vehicles coming from KR Puram, Road and Tumakuru Road. Vehicles traveling on the airport road flyover can join the Hebbal flyover as usual.
-
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann begins new chapter on golden note
Looking dapper in a mustard kurta-pyjama and Nehru jacket with a matching golden yellow turban, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann was all smiles as Aam Aadmi Party leaders Arvind Kejriwal and MP Raghav Chadha arrived to attend his wedding to Dr Gurpreet Kaur at a private ceremony at his official residence in Chandigarh on Thursday morning. A van carrying Guru Granth Sahib arrived around 10am amid tight security around the chief minister's residence.