Influx of COVID-19 patients prompts Mumbai's Lilavati hospital to set up beds near elevator lobby; watch video

Amid rising numbers of COVID-19 patients across the city, Lilavati Hospital in Bandra has set up beds near the lift lobby for COVID-19 patients. A video of the same went viral.

Watch the video here

Officials said the demand for COVID beds has increased due to which they had to set up beds in the lobby.

Senior doctors from Lilavati, Mumbai's one of the top hospitals, said the lobby COVID beds have been set up only after taking consent from the patients. Currently, there are 151 COVID-19 patients in the hospital and all beds are full due to which the waiting list has also increased. “This video is 10-15 days old and they had to set up such beds so that COVID-19 patients who need hospitalisation can get a bed. Now also we have a waiting list of more than two days and soon one more floor of the hospital will be dedicated to the COVID patients,” he said.

Senior officials from the civic public health department said that the focus will now be on ‘right triage’ to identify patients who need beds. “Most cases in the city are asymptomatic and 10-12% of them need beds. We are increasing the bed capacity in our jumbo centres and have also asked private hospitals to add more beds for Covid care,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, the active cases in Maharashtra touched 5.3 lakh, of which 88,053 were in Mumbai. With the rising number of cases, the demand for COVID beds has increased and all the private hospitals have run out of beds due to which they are making all necessary arrangements.