After coming across with videos of dead bodies kept next to patients' beds in city hospitals, the housing societies have now taken it upon themselves to save their residents from this possible ordeal. Various housing societies in Mumbai have set up their own isolation/quarantine facility at their gymnasium, community hall, club or in refugee/fire safety areas.
In one such initiative, a Kandivali West based housing society named Vishwadeep Heights comprising 67 apartments and nine commercial units in its 21 storeyed high-rise building has converted its gymnasium area for setting up isolation facility having two beds currently and can be further increased with three more beds if needed. The two rooms have independent toilet facilities.
The facility is equipped with Oxygen cylinder, besides beds with mattress, disposable bed sheets, PPE kits, Hand sanitisation dispenser, digital thermometer, Pulse Oximeter, N -95 Masks, Portable disinfectant spray machine, Hot water kettle and bin for safe disposals of waste said Nilesh Vyas, an active committee member of the housing society. The society has so far no COVID positive patients.
Vyas stated, "To set up the facility it costs them Rs 50,000; meaning 67 houses in this building shelled out Rs 850 which is much much less than any hospital bill for asymptomatic COVID positive patients charged. Moreover, staying within the society means quarantine facility will help the infected member, if any, to avail home cooked food, personal care, convenience and homely feeling to the patient, which is very effective in recovery. Also, such facility within the society would be a boon for all members and also reduce the dependence on the already overburdened government medical infrastructure."
Interestingly the housing society members has been receiving several calls from various other societies asking queries about how did they get it done.
Vyas said, "I am getting calls from Hyderabad, Bangalore and various other cities who are curious and happy to know how this entire set up can be created. Moreover, the question they have what all permissions are needed to establish such facility. Same concern we had so we approached MP Gopal Shetty who assured us to set up the facility and he also had a word with BMC commissioner who also replied that it is absolutely okay to set up such mechanism as it is the need of the hour.
As now we know, everyone has to get back to their routine lifestyle, has to go to offices having such facilities will prove essential."
Similarly other housing societies also setting up their own isolation facility. MP Gopal Shetty told the Free Press Journal, "Two more such facilities are being set up. A 50 beds COVID isolation facility will be available at Satra Park Borivali and other 4 beds facility for a small slum cluster established by Yuva Mandal. Such self-isolation centres will firstly eliminate the panic which has gripped the human minds. People today are worried that if they get infected what will happen. Will they get a bed or not? But housing societies setting up own COVID care centres for their own residents who are asymptomatic patients, will provide great relief and release them from stress. To tackle COVID-19 one should have strong immune system and if a person is sure and confident that he has medical treatment facility they will automatically be able to fight corona."
As housing societies gear up with self-isolation facilities in their building premises for asymptomatic/ mild symptom patients, several hospitals are now offering home quarantine packages starting at Rs 300 /day. This packages includes home nursing service, online doctors consultation, home sample collection, well being counselling (yoga & diet) etc. Like for instance SL Raheja hospital has introduced home isolation facility saying that they are offering remote care services at the comfort of one's home. Similarly, max@home is offering 15-days remote monitoring packages starting Rs 333/day, while Reliance foundation hospital too offering home quarantine package starting at Rs 375/day.
