Bringing a much needed relief for the residents of Borivali and Dahisar, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday revoked its own order of shutting down the civic run Shri Harilal Bhagwati Hospital at Dahisar.
Earlier in August, BMC announced to shut down most of the BMC run Covid Care Centre (CCC) facilities to slash the revenue expenditure. Local residents and public representatives of Dahisar and Borivli urged the civic body to allow functioning of the Bhagwat hospital, as it is the go to hospital the local residents.
"The BMC chief on Monday confirmed that the Bhagwati hospital will be allowed to function as long as the risk of the pandemic is there," Manisha Chaudhuri, BJP MLA of Dahisar told FPJ.
Earlier, the hospital had only one Outdoor Patients Department (OPD) and was transformed into a fully Dedicated Covid Hospital (DCH) in April when the Covid-19 cases were on a steep rise in Mumbai.
In June, a special Intensive Care Unit (ICU) was reopened for the Covid-19 patients in the hospital and modernised equipments like oximeters, portable X-ray machines and oxygen facilities were also installed in the facility.
Chaudhuri had written to the civic body urging it to not discontinue this hospital as CCC. The MLA also met civic chief Iqbal Singh Chahal on Monday, following which the civic body stayed its own resolution.
"This is the only dedicated civic run hospital for Covid treatment in Dahisar. A lot of patients come here for treatment as people are apprehensive of getting themselves treated in private hospitals," Chaudhuri stated.
As the number of active cases is still on rise in north Mumbai, BMC has also allowed the two temporary CCC facilities it has set up at Dahisar Check Naka and Kandar Pada to function till further notice.
"The cases in north Mumbai is still rising and most of the patients are coming in this hospital for treatment, the recovery rate of this hospital is also very high," Local Corporator, Jagdish Oza stated.
