Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking has emerged to become the only organisation across the globe whose approach towards dealing with the COVID19 pandemic outbreak has been recognised by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
The ILO is a United Nation's agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice through setting international labour standards.
In one of its articles titled 'Health and Wellness at work' published in its annual journal on Tueday, ILO acknowledged the health and wellness approach of BEST in dealing with COVID.
"The approach and preparedness helped BEST in responding the pandemic of COVID19 well. BEST had set up a COVID-19 response team and started antigen tests for all of its employees. A telemonitoring severity score was also been developed under which doctors would monitor the health condition of the patients. This has made a positive impact on recovery amongst COVID19 patients," the article stated.
ILO had also applauded the BEST for providing hospital beds to its employees with 100 per cent efficiency and acknowledged the telemonitoring technique to be a 'unique approach in combating the virus'.
BEST Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Anil Kumar Singhal told that the ILO representative in Asia had contacted him when the pandemic was at its peak during April and May, following which the organisation tracked the undertaking's response to the pandemic.
"The ILO contacted me after seeing some of the news articles about BEST published when COVID was at its peak in Mumbai, since then we were on touch. In September, we provided them a data of recoveries and our whole modus operandi in combating the pandemic" Singhal told FPJ.
During the lockdown, BEST provided continuous service to the frontline workers and with suspension of local trains, BEST became the lifeline of Mumbai.
Between April and November 30, BEST has reported 2,833 cases of which 2,687 patients have been successfully discharged. Nearly 60 per cent of the patients were from the transport wing of the organisation. Total 52 employees had succumbed to the virus. The officials informed that relatives of all the 52 deceased employees have been provided with job in the undertaking.
"BEST has a recovery rate of 95 per cent which has amazed the ILO. They were surprised to see such a high recovery rate in an organisation which is engaged in frontline service and whose employees have the highest chance of getting infected," Singhal added.
