The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has said that if cases rise to a major extent they have the facilities to expand the bed limit in Mumbai by 4,000. Currently, the city is equipped with 13,131 beds for COVID-19 patients of which 10,868 beds are in public hospitals while the remaining beds are from private hospitals.
Currently, 3,402 beds are occupied which is 25 percent of the total capacity. Senior officials stated, if cases continue to rise at a fast rate then they will be activating the beds which presently are being kept on standby.
“Presently more than 70 percent of the beds in Mumbai are vacant so there is no worry about bed shortage. We have more than 4,000 beds on standby and in-case there is a sharp spike then we will be activating these beds,” Suresh Kakani, the additional municipal commissioner told FPJ.
“The recovery rate of Mumbai has also improved and the overall infection rate is below 1 percent so, considering the present situation, BMC is more than ready now,” Kakani added.
The senior civic official also maintained that each and every ward officer has been instructed to keep at-least one quarantine centre in the ward ready with all the facilities. Considering the steady fall in the number of cases during the end of 2020, the civic body had shut a number of quarantine centres and COVID care facilities, however now that there has been a spike in cases lately many of these facilities are now being restarted most of these buildings are unused buildings which are owned by the BMC or MHADA.
He also mentioned that chances of roping in private hotels are unlikely at present, however, if the rise in the number of cases is sharp then the civic body will approach hotels for acquiring the beds.
Kakani also maintained, the jumbo centre which has been set up at Mahalaxmi Racecourse has 200 dedicated oxygen beds and will not have any normal beds for patients.
“We have dismantled the normal beds and have placed them to other facilities to expand their capacity, the Mahalaxmi center has been set up for the purpose of oxygen beds only,” stated Kakani.
