Anticipating a third wave of the pandemic, which is likely to affect children in more numbers, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will provide special training, guidance to the paediatricians across the city.
The move comes five days after the Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope announced the setting up of a paediatric task force, comprising 13 experts from the state.
The training will also involve suggestions on more effective hygiene in all slum areas, public toilets and other public places. Apart from this, the civic body is working out on giving home visits at the level of Municipal Health posts across the city.
"Covid-19 preventive measures and pharmacological measures are being implemented successfully across the city, across the jurisdiction of BMC. Mumbaikars have responded well to the appeals made by the BMC from time to time, which has enabled the municipal administration to manage the situation better during the second wave of the pandemic. However, the possibility of a third wave of Covid is now being speculated by experts. Experts have said that children and slum dwellers are more likely to be infected during the third wave. Hence we are leaving no stone unturned to prepare to prevent the destruction that the third wave will bring in," said Iqbal Singh Chahal, BMC commissioner.
As part of this new campaign, the civic body has directed the assistant municipal commissioners of all 24 wards of BMC to take initiate the special training for paediatricians in their respective ward and organize training programs. These training programs will be conducted in batches to ensure social and physical distancing.
The training programs will be conducted by senior experts from the concerned departments of the civic-run medical colleges and hospitals. The responsibility of overseeing the trainings and planning them has been entrusted to Ramesh Bharmal, dean of BYL Nair Hospital.
Members of the Paediatric Task Force formed by the state government will be invited as mentors. Apart from this, home visits will be increased at the level of all the 'health posts' of the corporation. Mumbai civic chief has directed the ward officials to ensure that more effective cleanliness is maintained in all slum areas, public toilets and other public places in all wards.
"In all these cases, monitoring and review will be done at ward levels and in all seven zones under BMC's jurisdiction. An action plan will be prepared at the administrative departments of all wards and submitted to the Executive Health Officer of BMC," said Suresh Kakani, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Health).
