Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has now directed all the dean and medical superintendent of its major hospitals and jumbo Covid centres to curtail all the routine/elective clinical works until the positive Covid cases in the city does not reduce substantially.
Moreover, they have also directed to avoid unnecessary transfers of patients to major hospitals and have cancelled all leaves of the hospital staffs which include childcare or long leave. However, the new order did not go well with hospital staff stating for the last one year they are working in double shift and the civic body knew of second wave but then also they did not increase man-power to handle it and now they have to bear all the pressure.
Dr Ramesh Bharmal, medical director of the civic-run hospitals said this order has been issued on the lines of the Additional Municipal Commissioner orders which was issued on April 6, stating that all only emergency non-Covid patients should be given priority, while rest should be sent to tertiary care hospital if they need to be hospitalised.
“In view of AMC (WS)'s sanction u/no... dtd. 06/04/2021 Deans of all major hospitals, jumbo Covid centers and Chief M.S. are hereby informed that routine/elective clinical work in all the major hospitals will be curtailed till the no. of Covid cases are reduced substantially. All the peripheral hospitals are hereby instructed to avoid unnecessary transfers to major hospitals. No child care leave and long leave without any valid reason to be sanctioned for staff members. There will be no summer vacation for faculty members which please be noted,” read the circular issued on Saturday.
Resident doctors said they have been working tirelessly for the last one year, fighting against the Covid-19 pandemic, but the state government knew that the second wave will come, and there is no preparedness for it. Now suddenly, when numbers are increasing, we are given extra duties and the burden of Covid, while senior doctors just come for a round and go away.
“Ours is a tertiary care centre. Our beds should be made available for critical cases and not those who can be treated at Covid care centres. The authorities have been told to increase capacity as cases rise in the city. Earlier we had oral instructions have been issued to turn away patients for elective surgeries, but now it has been made official. The process of vacating beds has started on our campus. They are planning around 1,000 Covid beds,” said the doctor.
Health experts are also not happy with this decision stating if they will only focus on Covid patients then non-Covid patients have to suffer as almost all the hospital in the city are busy treating Covid patients. “The civic body need to take some measures for non-Covid patients as issuing circular and directing to look after only emergency non-Covid patients and rest should be consult on OPD basis and send them back,” he said,
