Given the shortage of ICU and standard beds for COVID-19 patients, the civic body in Mumbai has launched an app called “Air-Venti” which can be downloaded from the Google Play Store for Android devices.
“The app would help citizens in the finding of the availability of ICU beds and ventilators in Mumbai hospital,” Mayor Kishori Pednekar said. The Mayor launched the app on Wednesday, though its availability is currently limited to Android devices as it doesn’t show up on the iTunes App Store for iPhones.
It is said that this app will be directly linked to the BMC’s COVID-19 war room, which will help coordinate the availability of ICU beds as well as ventilators for suspected COVID-19 patients.
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Given that BMC’s helpline has been understaffed and has been far from perfect, this new app will provide an alternative to waiting on the phone lines. However, reserving an ICU or standard bed through the app depends entirely on the availability of beds or ventilators at a given hospital.
The app provides data on the hospitals nearest to you, with the ability to “Book” or reserve the bed with a few taps. Citizens can also choose to call the hospital directly.
The Delhi State Government recently updated its “Delhi Corona” app to include the ability to look for ICU beds and ventilators across the region in private and civic hospitals. However, Mumbai’s new Air-Venti app is dedicated to reserving ventilators and ICU beds, while Delhi’s alternative includes these features on an existing app.
Mumbai’s COVID-19 active cases have breached 60,200 as of Wednesday, while civic authorities are also greatly impacted by the virus. A report yesterday mentioned that 70 staff members of the BMC have died due to the coronavirus.
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