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PMC Covid care centres near empty as patients prefer home isolation
PUNE Though the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has Covid care centres active for isolation, most citizens infected with the virus, prefer to isolate at home
PUNE Though the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has Covid care centres active for isolation, most citizens infected with the virus, prefer to isolate at home.
PMC officer Rajendra Muthe, in charge of the PMC isolation facilities, said, “It is true that there is a poor response for isolation at the centres. PMC has the maximum number of isolation facilities in the city available at educational institutes, hostels, sports complexes and on PMC properties. We are keeping beds ready considering the second surge.”
Muthe added, “If the government or local authorities take a decision to keep maximum positive patients at isolation centres, we must be prepared for it. Some people are not following Covid-appropriate norms. Despite being positive, instead of remaining in quarantine, they are coming out of their homes after three or four days.”
A PMC official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “In the first surge, most patients were from slums. The homes are very small and there were common toilets. This time, maximum positive patients are from housing societies and apartments, and all these prefer to do home isolation or get admitted to hospital.”
As per the figures issued by Pune Zilla Parishad, as of February 12, a total of 75,896 patients were in home isolation, and 23,910 in hospital isolation.
The PMC official said, “Our total isolation facility has reached 8,000 beds and hardly 1,000 people are using the isolation facility.”
An official statement by the PMC issued on Monday, read: “Already 1,900 beds are erected at Agricultural College, Balewadi sports complex, SNDT College on Karve road, and the Dr Bababasaheb Ambedkar hostel on Ghole road. Medical officers have been recruited at these locations.”
Municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar said, “New Covid care centres are coming at the Sinhgad Institute in Vadgaon; Trinity College in Kondhwa; Aundh ITI; Fergusson College; Nikmar Institute in Balewadi; Ganesh Kala Krida Manch in Swargat; and at the Savitribai Phule Pune University. These new Covid care centres will have a capacity of 4,700 beds.
PMC has already started Covid care centres at Rakshaknagar Sports complex in Kharadi; Bankar School in Hadapsar; Sant Dnyaneshwar Hostel in Yerwada; and the Gangadham Fire Brigade at Bibvewadi. The total bed capacity of these centres is 1,250 and already 589 patients are taking treatment here.
