Amid coronavirus outbreak, BMC to spend Rs 2 crore on quarantine unit

The BMC will also provide facilities like ACs and televisions for quarantined patients

In a bid to strengthen its health department, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has allocated Rs 4,260 crore for it, 14 per cent higher than last year's allocation. Considering the growing number of cases of people being quarantined for coronavirus, the civic body has decided to spend Rs 2 crore from the total allocation for setting up a laboratory at Kasturba Hospital where samples from such patients can be tested.

Speaking to mid-day, civic chief, Praveen Pardeshi, said, "There is only one testing facility in the state. We will set up a laboratory so that there is no need to send samples to Pune. In case of infections like coronavirus, isolation is the first step. We will strengthen the facility." He added that the civic body was planning to provide other amenities like air-conditioners and televisions for quarantine patients.

A civic official said that they would also purchase specialised pathology equipment that will be used to test samples of infectious diseases. He added that the facility will be functional in the next two to three months.

Apart from this, a new building is also being planned at Kasturba Hospital's campus for which R7 crore has been allocated. The budget has also set aside R10 crore for a hostel building to be constructed on the Acworth Hospital campus for KEM students.

The civic budget has also allocated R4.11 crore for outsourcing the newborn ICU services at Savitribai Phule Maternity Home. Pardeshi said that as part of 'Aapli Chikitsa', 24X7 blood investigation facility, which is available in peripheral hospitals, dispensaries and maternity homes will now be extended to urban health centres of the four medical college hospitals - Sion, Cooper, Nair and KEM.

The outpatient department of civic dispensaries would also function in the evening from 4 pm till 11 pm instead of just the morning hours. The civic body is planning to outsource the staff needed for the additional hours. While it will be started in 15 dispensaries in the first phase, 35 more will be included in the second phase.

The BMC also announced the proposal for purchasing 30 new ventilators for paediatric and neonatal patients among other equipment in the upcoming financial year. A tender for purchasing three MRI machines and three CT scan machines, which will be installed in Sion, KEM and Nair Hospitals, is also under process.

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