Mumbai is dealing with extreme pressure of rising coronavirus positive cases and the lack of hospital beds to admit the patients.?
In the wake of this crisis, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has directed civic officials to acquire at least 100 beds, including 10 in ICUs, of private nursing homes and small hospitals in all 24 wards of Mumbai in the wake of rising number of COVID-19 cases in the city.
This will facilitate availability of at least 2,400 more beds for patients in the city, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said in a release on May 20.
Mumbai recorded 1,372 new COVID-19 cases and 41 deaths on Wednesday, the BMC said.
The COVID tally in the country's financial capital, which is also the epicentre in Maharashtra that has the most number of cases in the country, reached 23,935 and the death toll rose to 841.
BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal directed ward and health officers to complete the process of acquiring beds in private nursing homes and hospitals soon.
He also directed ward officers to file police complaints against private nursing homes, polyclinics and hospitals which have not reopened.
Nearly 1,000 health surveillance teams are daily surveying six to seven lakh people, and suspected coronavirus patients are being referred to COVID Care Centres.
The civic body also said that 58,14,340 houses were surveyed and 7,447 suspected cases were referred till date.