BMC meeting on Covid-19 death rate: Patients are receiving treatment very late

At 5.6%, the city’s mortality rate is one of the highest in the country, and one of the reasons behind this is patients are reaching treatment centres in “deteriorated

At 5.6%, the city’s mortality rate is one of the highest in the country, and one of the reasons behind this is patients are reaching treatment centres in “deteriorated condition” after being referred by other hospitals. This was revealed in the minutes of a meeting between the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) health department and civic commissioner Praveen Pardeshi on April 14.

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According to data provided by the BMC, till Thursday, 2,043 patients were diagnosed with Covid-19, with 116 deaths in the city. The city’s date rate is higher than the national rate of 3.21%. One of the main reasons behind the high mortality rate is that by the time patients are referred to Covid-19 facilities, their health has already deteriorated, decreasing the chance of survival.

In the meeting, Pardeshi raised concern over the high death rate. “He mentioned that many patients are reaching hospitals in deteriorated condition and deteriorating fast to death,” reads the report, adding that civic officials also discussed issues of comorbidities and mentioned it as one of the major factors contributing to the high death rate.

While discussing Kasturba Gandhi Hospital, the main Covid-19 treatment centre, officials said that the death rate was high as many patients are turning up in very critical condition after being referred by other hospitals.

Data provided by the BMC shows that almost 30% of the 116 deceased patients died within 24 hours of admission. A 30-year-old pregnant woman with Covid-19 from Nallasopara succumbed to the virus at BYL Nair Hospital in Mumbai Central on April 4, a few hours after being admitted.

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has now sought a report from the BMC to “verify whether symptomatic patient’s contacts are getting infected or not”. The officers have been instructed to provide all data for the study.

Forensic doctors to work at fever clinics

Minutes of the meeting also stated that the assistant municipal commissioner will issue orders to post doctors from the forensic department at fever clinics, given the shortage of doctors in the city’s wards. However, a forensic expert from Lokmanya Tilak General Hospital said that they have not been informed about the update yet.