The Pune Municipal Corporation has decided to deploy additional doctors and nurses at a newly- created COVID-19 jumbo facility following complaints of shortage of manpower there, a senior civic official said.
Last week, a news channel journalist died at the facility, set up in the premises of the College of Engineering here in Maharashtra. His family members alleged that he did not get a cardiac ambulance in time.
Following his death, there were allegations about mismanagement at the jumbo hospital. Pune Municipal Commissioner Vikram Kumar had also sought issuance of show- cause notice to the agency operating the facility.
State Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has said the agency currently operating the hospital will be replaced.
Pune's additional municipal commissioner Rubal Agarwal in a statement on Saturday dismissed rumours that doctors and nurses were leaving the facility.
"There is no truth init. To address the issue of manpower shortage at the 800-bed dedicated COVID-19 facility, the Pune Municipal Corporation has decided to provide an additional50 doctors and 120 paramedics," she said.
Authorities conducted a review of the jumbo medical facility on Saturday. Two cardiac ambulances have been made available there. All medical treatments, including Remdisivir injections, at the facility will be free of cost, she said.
Earlier, the policy was to give a prescription to patient's relatives to procure Remdesivir injection, but now the hospital will provide it, she said.
"If any staff member asks relatives of COVID-19 patients to purchase injections from outside, action will be taken against him/her. The families of patients may contact the civic body's disaster management cell for any complaints," she said.
