Woman dies of heart attack in BMC swimming pool

A woman died of a heart attack at a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation-run swimming pool in Chembur. Staff at the General Arun Kumar Vaidya Swimming Pool said that Trombay resident, Renuka Koli, 61, has been coming for swimming with her husband Gajanan Koli since October 2022

Mumbai: A woman died of a heart attack at a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation-run swimming pool in Chembur.

Mumbai, India - November 05, 2020: Workers are seen cleaning up the swimming pool to make it ready to reopen after government has given permission to reopen the swimming pool after being shut for nearly 6-7 months due to Covid-19 pandemic at A.K. Vaidya Swimming Pool, Chembur in Mumbai, India, on Thursday, November 5, 2020. (Photo by Pratik Chorge/Hindustan Times) (Pratik Chorge/HT PHOTO)

Staff at the General Arun Kumar Vaidya Swimming Pool said that Trombay resident, Renuka Koli, 61, has been coming for swimming with her husband Gajanan Koli since October 2022.

“On Tuesday, they had stepped into the pool a little after 8am and at around 8.40 am, froth started coming out of the woman’s mouth. We pulled her out and took her to a clinic outside the pool. The doctor told us that Koli will require an ICU set up. We took her to Zen hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival. If she got immediate medical aid, she could have probably survived,” a pool staffer said.

The incident has brought forth the need for basic medical facilities at civic-run pools.

Recently, two swimmers were injured at the pool on February 26. They had to be taken to a hospital in public transport.

On February 15, a swimmer, Pramod Sarangdhar, became unconscious in Shivaji Park swimming pool. Head instructor Vishal Sagare performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and immediately shifted him to Hinduja hospital. The swimmer survived.

Sources said that most instructors at swimming pools are private staffers and are paid low and have no knowledge of CPR.

In the pre-Covid times, almost all BMC-run swimming pools had ambulances belonging to the public health department parked in their compound. The pools used to provide them with free electricity and these ambulances were also used to attend to emergencies. But these facilities were withdrawn during the Covid pandemic and never restored.

Deputy municipal commissioner (gardens) Kishor Gandhi said, “The death of the swimmer is an unfortunate incident. But it is unaffordable for the BMC to keep ambulance facilities at pools. If the health department wants to use our infrastructure at swimming pools, they are welcome.’’