BMC to take over 80% of beds in private hospitals as COVID-19 cases soar in Mumbai

With the number of Coronavirus cases continuing to rise in the financial capital of the country, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Iqbal Chahal held a meeting with owners and administrators of private hospitals in Mumbai on Monday evening. In the meeting, it was decided that the BMC will take over 80% of beds in private hospitals. These beds will be used for COVID-19 and non-COVID patients by bifurcating it as per requirement. 

BMC to increase bed capacity to 1 lakh

The move is also expected to address the issue of shortage of beds in the city which has been the worst-affected across the country with the number of cases constantly soaring. The decision is also expected to help in having a standard fee for COVID treatment. The BMC Commissioner had revealed on Sunday that the civic body shall soon increase the bed capacity for COVID-19 treatment to one lakh in Mumbai. He had also clarified that the local body will not be taking over Wankhede stadium to convert it into a quarantine centre. To buttress his point, he cited that an open ground would not be useful for this purpose during the upcoming monsoon. 

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Meanwhile, the BMC has also issued revised protocols for sealing of buildings where COVID cases are reported. According to the protocol, if a COVID positive case has been found in a society or a building, the entire building need not be sealed, instead only the particular floor can be sealed. It further stated that no maids, vendors, or service providers will be allowed entry in any building. The BMC has further advised buildings and societies to tie up with local vendors, medical stores and online merchants to deliver supplies at society boundary. 

COVID crisis in Mumbai 

Mumbai on Monday reported 1,185 fresh COVID-19 cases and 23 more deaths, taking the total case count to 21,152 and the fatalities to 757, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said. A total of 13 of the 23 deceased were suffering from comorbidities. Of the 1,185 new cases, 300 samples were tested positive in private laboratories between May 12 and 16. The number of recovered patients mounted to 5,516 with 504 more people being discharged from hospitals, an official release said. 

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