With the rising threat of the deadly coronavirus, the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has sought more than Rs. 48 crore from the state government authorities to enhance and upgrade existing healthcare infrastructure and to create new facilities to mount a renewed battle against the pandemic in the twin-city.
To further ramp up testing capacity, the MBMC is also exploring the idea of setting up a RT-PCR lab at the bus depot building in Ghodbunder. Civic chief- Dr. Vijay Rathod has tabled a proposal before the state government via the divisional commissioner seeking financial aid of Rs. 48.34 crore towards meeting the day-to-day expenses amounting Rs. 10.70 crore at existing facilities and to create more institutional quarantine cells, dedicated Covid Health Centers (DCHC), Covid Care Centers (CCC) and Dedicated Covid Hospitals (DCH) in community halls, parking plazas among other structures and grounds in the twin-city which have been tagged for the purpose in view of the pandemic situation.
Apart from mooting a proposal to create jumbo quarantine and Covid care facilities, the MBMC’s health department is planning to set up a 240-bed DCHC in Mira Road and also convert 53 general beds of the Bhayandar-based Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Civil Hospital (Tembha) into fully equipped Intensive Care facilities, while installing more ventilators. The 250-bed facility has two ICU’s (10 beds each), 177 beds with oxygen facilities and 53 beds in general wards.
With 105 more people testing positive for the virus on Tuesday, the total number of Covid-19 patients has climbed to 5,851, even as the death toll has reached 207. On a positive note 4,424 patients have fully recovered, pulling down the number of active cases to 1,220. With revenue generation hitting rock bottom owing to the lockdown imposed since 20, March, the civic body is staring at a huge financial crisis.
