The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has added 2269 isolation beds, which includes 360 ICU beds in private hospitals for COVID-19 patients as demand for beds in private hospitals has increased this weekend. Almost 69 nursing homes were taken over by the BMC.

Iqbal Singh Chahal, BMC Commissioner reiterated that no bed will be available directly for admitting patients in private hospitals. If private hospitals are found directly admitting patients then they will be penalised. Civic officials stated that this is to make sure that the mild symptomatic patients do not occupy these hospital beds.

Chahal further said that all allotment of hospital beds will be done through 24 WARD WAR ROOMS only and no one should try to get a positive COVID report directly from Testing laboratories. They would then find it difficult to get bed anywhere else. Let the name come to them as per the line list from labs at midnight and they will go to their homes with beds early next morning as they were doing since last June.

BMC plans to operationalise 1500 beds in jumbo centers this week. At present, there are 3000 vacant beds across Mumbai, which includes 450 beds in private hospitals. They are fast decreasing as Mumbai is recording 6000-7000 coronavirus cases daily. Chahal has also informed the state government that Mumbai might record 10000 cases a day soon.

Source: The Indian Express