Mumbai civic body to study Covid-19 ward war rooms

Anticipating the third wave, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will undertake a study on the ward-wise Covid-19 war room scheme that was initiated during the first wave

Anticipating the third wave, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will undertake a study on the ward-wise Covid-19 war room scheme that was initiated during the first wave. Civic body officials believe the study is likely to help them understand the loopholes and further strengthen their strategy, which helped streamline the management of novel coronavirus infection cases during the first and second wave.

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When the pandemic first hit Mumbai in March 2020, there was one central BMC helpline — 1916. However, by June, cases were peaking in the city, which increased the pressure on the centralised helpline number. The critical helpline number got completely clogged with calls, following which, BMC commissioner IS Chahal decided on decentralisation and ward-level war rooms were set up subsequently which proved fruitful in timely admission of Covid-19 patients.

“We were the first city to initiate ward-wise war rooms which helped channelise timely treatment of Covid-19 patients and thereby control the fatality rate. We have therefore decided to conduct a study which might guide us to strengthen the decentralised disaster management system if we face the third wave,” said Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner, BMC.

Each war room runs 24X7 with teachers and data entry staff working in three shifts — 7am-3pm, 3pm-11pm and 11pm-7am. There are around 15-16 people who work in each shift. However, the number may differ ward-wise.

As per civic officials, in April when the second wave of the pandemic was at its peak, the 24 ward war rooms received over 80,000 calls with maximum queries on beds and ambulances.

“Last year, in May, when Covid-19 cases surged suddenly, there was too much chaos. The centralised disaster number couldn’t handle the number of calls. But the war rooms helped distribute the burden. So, with all the data available with us, we want to study how the module worked for Mumbai,” said Dr Mangala Gomare, executive health officer, BMC. “We are yet to chalk out the plan, and which ward to select for the study,” she added.

However, compared to April, the number of calls has decreased drastically with the flattening of the pandemic curve in the second wave. “The number of calls has dropped drastically compared to April. As 80% beds in hospitals are vacant, now, we are getting around 100 calls which were around 500 calls in April,” said Kiran Dighavkar, BMC assistant commissioner and in-charge of G-South ward that covers Dharavi, Mahim and Dadar.

The decentralisation was done to allot beds to critically ill patients on time. Guidelines were issued to prioritise the admission of patients based on their health condition.

Explaining the protocol, Dr Dripti Soni, one of the doctors in the war room, said call attendants first enquire if the patient has co-morbidities which includes medical history like blood saturation levels and their blood pressure. If the patient doesn’t have the medical equipment, then the ward war room sends healthcare workers to their house to gather information.

“Many patients and their relatives start panicking when they test positive for the infection. Almost 90% callers ask for hospital beds. But patients with oxygen saturation above 95% and with no severe co-morbidities don’t require hospitalisation. So, this prioritisation helped stop unnecessary occupancy of hospital beds,” she said.