Centre praises BMC for COVID-19 growth-rate dip in Dharavi

Centre praised Mumbai civic body on Sunday for "actively" chasing vel coronavirus in Dharavi, saying proactive measures reduced growth rate of infection in Asia's largest slum to 1.02 per cent in June from 12 per cent in April.

Union Health Ministry also lauded Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for ensuring a steep decline of daily COVID-19 cases in Dharavi from an aver of 43 in May to 19 in third week of June.

Through a pre-emptive, proactive and graded response policy, Centre is taking several steps along with states and Union territories for prevention, containment and manment of COVID-19, ministry said in a statement.

In this effort, various guidelines, advisories and treatment protocols have been developed and shared with states to strengn collective response toward combating COVID-19, statement said.

ting that several states have implemented se containment strategies and produced effective outcomes, Centre said efforts of Maharashtra government and BMC had shown encouraging results.

"As part of se efforts, y have actively chased virus and aggressively conducted targeted tracing of COVID suspects," ministry said.

"Being densely populated (2,27,136 persons/sqkm), Dharavi had 491 cases in April 2020 with a 12% growth rate and a case doubling period of 18 days," it said. " proactive measures adopted by BMC reduced COVID-19 growth rate to 4.3% in May 2020 and furr to 1.02% in June."

se measures also ensured an improved case doubling time to 43 days in May and 78 days in June, Centre said.

BMC faced several challenges in Dharavi where 80 per cent of population depends on community toilets, it said.

About 8-10 people live in households or hutment that measures about 10/10 feet, coupled with existence of narrow lanes with two-three-storey houses where often ground floor is a house and or floors are used as factories, statement said.

Hence, re were severe limitations of physical distancing with possibility of effective 'home quarantine', it said.

BMC adopted a model of actively following four T's – tracing, tracking, testing and treating, ministry said.

This approach included activities like proactive screening and while 47,500 people were covered by doctors and private clinics in house-to-house screening, about 14,970 people were screened with help of mobile vans, and 4,76,775 were surveyed by BMC health workers.

"Fever clinics were set up for screening high risk category such as elderly/senior citizens. This helped to screen 3.6 lakh people. Also, around 8246 senior citizens were surveyed and as part of its policy of 'timely separation', y were separated from or community to effectively limit transmission of disease," ministry said.

In all, 5,48,270 people have been screened in Dharavi with suspected cases shifted to well organised COVID care centres and quarantine centres, it said.

READ | COVID-19: Growth Rate In Dharavi Declines; Comes To 1.02% From 12%

To tackle issue of manpower to carry out proactive screening in high risk zones, BMC forged strategic public private partnerships in containment measures and all available 'private' practitioners were mobilised, ministry said.

"BMC provided private doctors with PPE Kits, rmal scanners, pulse Oxymeters, masks and gloves and started door-to-door screening in high risk zones and all suspects were identified," it said.

BMC encourd all practitioners to open ir clinics to attend to patients and communicate to it in case any COVID-19 suspects were found, statement said.

"BMC sanitised clinics of private practitioners and provided m all necessary support. To augment health infrastructure in city, all private hospitals were brought on board and acquired for treatment," it said.

As option of home quarantine could t effectively produce desired outcomes due to limitations in congested area, institutional quarantine facilities were created in all available schools, marri halls, sports complexes, etc, ministry said.

se were provided with a community kitchen for breakfast, lunch and dinner, round--clock access to medical services, necessary medicines and equipment, it said.

A salient feature of BMC's COVID-19 response strategy is strict enforcement of containment measures, which has three primary components -- an effective containment strategy, conducting comprehensive testing, and ensuring uninterrupted supply of goods and essential supplies to community.

Only critical patients were moved outside Dharavi for admission to hospitals and 90 per cent of patients were treated inside Dharavi itself, ministry said.

BMC also distributed more than 25,000 grocery kits and more than 21,000 food packets for lunch and dinner separately within containment zones so people stayed inside and did t have need to move out, reby curbing spread of virus, it said.

Food and grocery were also supplied and distributed free of cost by local MLAs, MPs and corporators, it said, adding that re was frequent disinfection of containment area and community toilets.

Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation buses were operated for facilitating staff conveyance, while high-risk zone was sealed from all sides and community leaders were appointed as a 'COVID warriors' to address all issues of community and to act as a bridge between health workers and community, it ted.

This helped to allay any fears and concerns y may have, and bolstered ir confidence in government's efforts, it said. 

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