BMC to arrange for 200 ambulances for COVID-19 patients

In order to resolve the issue of lack of ambulances for COVID-19 patients, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to deploy 200 ambulances. The civic body plans to allot two ambulances to 100 isolation/quarantine centres across the city.

The ambulance is crucial in case of emergency or to transport a high-risk patient from hospital to isolation/ quarantine facility. If a person tests positive, the ambulance is necessary to transport them to the hospital. Alongside, if a COVID-19 patient dies, the ambulance carries the body to the crematorium.

Earlier, the COVID-dedicated hospitals had ambulances but it is mandatory for the driver to wear a PPE suit while transporting COVID-19 patient. Due to the lack of PPE suits, the ambulances couldn't be used till now. However, the civic body recently decided to allot more PPE suits and deploy more ambulance for transporting coronavirus patients.

Alongside, fire brigade officers are also going to receive proper protective gear to help them continue their operations without the risk of getting infected. The decision comes after Mumbai fire brigade recently received calls to rescue a seriously ill person, along with a dead body, both suspected to be COVID-19 patients.

In both cases, the officers took the risk of entering the room without any protective gear. This increases the risk of infection as the virus happens to be highly contagious. Therefore, in order to protect themselves, they filed a complaint to the officials so that they are provided with adequate PPE’s so that they can do their work efficiently.

In a recent incident, as all the ambulances in Kanjurmarg, including the government's 108, private and public, were busy carrying out coronavirus-related work. Due to which, a tuberculosis patient couldn't be taken to the hospital and he died after waiting five hours for an ambulance.

Keeping that in mind, BMC Commissioner YS Chahal ordered the officials to ready 200 ambulances to carry out the COVID-19-related work in Mumbai.

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