300 more ICU beds planned till June 20, only 51 added so far

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had planned to add 300 intensive care unit (ICU) beds by June 20, it has fallen considerably short of its goal, adding

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had planned to add 300 intensive care unit (ICU) beds by June 20, it has fallen considerably short of its goal, adding only 51 ICU beds till June 17.

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The civic body had said it would ramp up medical infrastructure vis-a-vis beds in the city by June-end as it anticipates that cases will peak by then. It needs to prep for an estimated 80,000 Covid-19 cases if the current pace of growth of the infection continues.

“BMC will increase the bed capacity by 300 till June 25 as planned already. I just took a review of ICU beds today and the augmentation is on track,” said municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal. On June 10, Chahal said that 300 ICU beds would be added within 10 days.

Experts have pointed out that there is a need to increase this capacity considering the number of cases in the city. As per data released by BMC, of the total ICU bed capacity of 1, 215 till June 17, around 95% (1,161) of beds are occupied.

Dr Deepak Baid, president of Association of Medical Consultants, said that ICU beds should be available for at least 7% of cases. “It is observed that Covid-19 patients need more oxygen supply than ventilators. In an ideal scenario, ICU beds should be available for at least 10% of of the active patients. However, even if 7% of patients get beds, the situation can be handled since the other patients can be given immediate oxygen supply when required. The government has done a good job in setting up oxygen facilities at the ground level, which reduces the load on ICUs to some extent,” said Baid.

Thus, BMC would need around 2,000 ICU beds to cater to 7% of the city’s 28, 000 active Covid patients. As of June 17 the city had only 1,215 ICU beds. “We are going to expedite the addition of ICU beds in the coming days. However, we are also focusing on facilitating oxygen beds at the same time,” said a civic official.

City records highest toll

The city recorded the highest fatalities in a day with 114 deaths due to Covid-19 on Friday. Of the 114 deaths, 55 were between June 16 and 18 and the remaining 59 deaths were before June 15. However, all of these deaths were recorded by the BMC on Friday. The total number of deaths in the city has now reached 3,423.

Meanwhile, Mumbai recorded 1, 269 new Covid-19 cases, taking the total count 64,068. The city’s overall growth rate of Covid cases in the past seven days is 2.15%. The doubling rate in the city has gone up to 33 days. The doubling rate is calculated to determine the time taken for the doubling of cases in that area.

Further, BMC, in a press statement on Friday, said, “We have started a facility of 200 oxygen beds at the Covid facility at Maharashtra Nature Park in Dharavi. Built on an area of around 2,200 square feet, the waterproofed centre provides oxygen to every patient’s bed. It will benefit those with moderate infections.”