The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has so far carried out over 1 crore Covid-19 tests and has instructed to further ramp up the testing in the city. The civic body is also gearing up its infrastructure to battle the third wave when it arrives. As a part of the preparations, the BMC will soon take over possession of the Kanjurmarg Jumbo Covid Centre. But just like the Malad Jumbo Centre, even this will be kept vacant until the cases are on a rise.
MID DAY Report said that it has been more than two months since the Malad Jumbo Centre was taken over from the MMRDA by the BMC. The centre has a bed capacity of more than 2,000, and the Kanjurmarg Jumbo Centre will have a similar capacity. After the second wave, during which the shortage of beds and emergency equipment, unavailability of ICUs and oxygen supply were seen, two new jumbo centres were planned immediately. While the Malad one was ready by June the Kanjurmarg one was delayed. It is being constructed by CIDCO and is likely to behanded over to the BMC in the coming few days.
However, both the new centres are far from being put to use, as the bed occupancy due to Covid-19 in the city (both municipal and private hospitals) is hardly 9.3 per cent as of Wednesday morning. Currently, the BKC Jumbo Centre, Seven Hills Hospital, NSCI Worli Jumbo Center and Goregaon NESCO Jumbo Centre are the only ones that are operational. The Mulund Jumbo Centre has admitted a few patients but is not completely activated yet, said officials.
With the ramping up of testing in the city to focus and isolate those who may carry the virus or be a cause of the spread, reviewing the infrastructure and keeping it ready in case of a spike is also a necessity, said officials. “As we are increasing our tests, if the results are positive and hospitalisation is needed, we should be ready with our infrastructure. So we will keep reviewing it and according to the situation keep activating additional beds,” said a senior civic official.
Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani, said, “We will take charge of the Kanjurmarg Jumbo Centre in the coming few days as the last bit of work is being carried out. But we will evaluate the need and accordingly put it to use.” The civic body is waiting till October 5 to assess the situation, as many people who had gone to their native places will be back in the city, and decide if any restrictions will be needed.
The BMC has conducted over 1 crore tests till date since March 2020. Till September 21, a total of 1,00,59,254 tests were conducted. BMC has appealed to people that medical tests are an important part of Covid prevention measures and so people who have symptoms of the infection or have been in close contact with an infected person should get a test done immediately. It has appealed to those who had gone to their native places for Ganeshotsav or those who had gone abroad for other reasons to get the test done. “If the person tests positive, he/she can be kept in isolation, and can get timely treatment. In this connection, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation administration is once again appealing for timely medical examination of Covid,” read a BMC press statement.