Mumbai to get permanent quarantine centre at Kasturba Hospital soon

Kasturba Hospital's Ward 15 will make way for the quarantine facility. Pic/ Bipin Kokate

The recent Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and its few suspected cases in the city have prompted the civic body to build a dedicated quarantine facility that can handle infectious diseases

Senior Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials said they have prepared a R44-crore proposal for a facility at Chinchpokli's Kasturba Hospital and will try to adjust the cost in the current budget.

The BMC is proposing to redevelop one of Kasturba Hospital's dilapidated wards that is set for demolition.

Kasturba Hospital's premises has several ward buildings, each catering to different diseases. Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani said that ward number 15, a dilapidated structure, will make way for the new building that is likely to have four storeys.

"Ward number 15 will be redeveloped based on the available FSI. It will have the capacity to house 145 beds and will include negative pressure isolation rooms for quarantined patients with amenities like air conditioning, internet and television," he said. He added that the floor-wise plan of the facility is being chalked out keeping the budget in mind.

The current isolation ward has 28 beds

Currently, the hospital has a 28-bed facility which was established as an isolation ward during the H1N1 outbreak in 2009. The negative pressure isolation rooms will together have 30 beds, while the rest will be for recovering patients.

Kakani added that Rs 2 crore has been allocated in this year's civic budget to strengthen isolation facilities but officials are trying to accommodate the Rs 44-crore plan too. "We have submitted the proposal for administrative approval to the municipal commissioner. A lump sum is allocated to the Health Department in the budget. If approved, we can try to accommodate the quarantine facility plan in the department's budget," he said. If it is not okayed, the proposal will be put before the general body for approval.

Kasturba Hospital's current isolation ward was built in 2009 during the H1N1 outbreak

Apart from the quarantine facility, the reference laboratory at Kasturba Hospital will also get an upgrade and advanced equipment. A senior civic official said that apart from the National Institute of Virology (NIV), the laboratory at Kasturba Hospital is now the only other testing facility for COVID-19 in the state. "Unlike positive samples, negative samples have to be counter checked several times. Based on the regulations of NIV, we had to crosscheck 10 samples and the process was successful. Our laboratory has been certified by the NIV and can now test negative samples independently," said the official, adding that samples from neighbouring states are likely to be sent to the laboratory for testing.

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