Covid-19: Seven Hills, St George hospital to carry out mock drill in Mumbai

St George hospital, which has 70 beds, will participate in the exercise. File pic

To ensure city hospitals are prepared to handle a spike in Covid-19 cases, the BMC-run Seven Hills hospital and government-run St George hospital will conduct a drill on Tuesday. The rise in Covid cases in China, the United States and South Korea has got the government in alert mode and preparations have started to combat the spread of the virus.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has asked all states to conduct drills in hospitals to check preparedness. In light of this, Seven Hills hospital, which is a dedicated Covid-19 facility with a 1,700-bed capacity, and St George hospital, which has 70 beds, will participate in the exercise along with JJ hospital, which will conduct it in the OPD.

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The drill will also focus on human resource capacity in terms of healthcare professionals trained in Covid-19 management and healthcare professionals trained in ventilatory management protocol for severe cases. Testing of essential equipment and reagents and availability of drugs, etc, will also take place.

A BMC official said, "This will help us to learn if there are any loopholes or lack of facilities or manpower so we make arrangements." On Monday, the state reported only 15 new Covid cases, out of which five were from Mumbai. No deaths were reported. There are 154 active cases in the state out of which 49 are from the city.