Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation spends ₹127Cr for public health care during Covid pandemic

The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation has, till now, spent around ₹127Cr during the Covid pandemic for providing health care to the public; out of this amount, ₹51.10Cr was for hospital rents

The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has, till now, spent around ₹127Cr during the pandemic for providing health care to the public. Out of this amount, ₹51.10Cr was for hospital rents.

NMMC’s oxygen plant set up for treatment against Covid in Vashi, Navi Mumbai. NMMC has spent ₹127Cr for public health care during the pandemic. (BACHCHAN KUMAR/HT PHOTO)

“Most of the centres like CIDCO Bhavan, which was used for admitting patients, and other State properties that were used as quarantine centres, have a rent that needs to be paid. Some private hospitals, too, have charged rent while some other hospitals like DY Patil and MGM charged on per-bed basis. We are in communication with all the hospitals and are also trying to get funds from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to pay the rents. The State Government has, till now, provided us ₹10.50Cr,” NMMC commissioner, Abhijit Bangar, said.

Besides the hospital rent, the total of ₹127Cr includes medicine, pathology, surgicals, equipment, bio-medical waste, medical gas, linen, laundry, radio and sonography and Covid staff salary.

NMMC had its first case on March 13, 2020. From having just a single hospital – Vashi General Hospital – tackling Covid patients to having 59 centres during the second wave, 64 during the third wave and now, closing down all the centres for having no hospitalisation cases, NMMC came a long way.

“Except for the rents, everything else was paid while rendering the service,” Bangar said.