Mumbai Mayor directs BMC to serve notices to workers absent in civic hospitals

On Tuesday, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to take action against health workers, who have consistently failed to report for duty in civic hospitals amid the coronavirus pandemic. Mayor Pednekar had held a meeting with all the chiefs of the major hospitals in the city that have been treating COVID-19 patients.

The meeting was held at the Penguin ward of Veermata Jijabai Bhonsale Udyan and Zoo (Byculla Zoo) as Pednekar took note of the situation in Mumbai. The Mayor, during the meeting, told the officials to issue notices to the doctors, nurses, as well as Class IV employees who are posted in civic hospitals and have been absent consistently.

She also directed the respective hospital heads to dispose of the bodies of the deceased COVID-19 patients immediately and submit a hospital wise list if there is any problem with the concerned police station.

Pednekar also learned in detail about how the ambulances were arranged department wise. She instructed all concerned hospitals to ensure that the patients do not face any hassles during the treatment. Alongside this, she instructed the municipal corporation to procure ambulances in the future.

The BMC Commissioner YS Chahal has already ordered the officials to ready 200 ambulances to carry out the COVID-19-related work in Mumbai. 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.

Coming back to the mayor's meeting with the hospital heads, she also asked the hospitals to send a list to BMC in case they face a shortage of ventilators in the hospital. 

The meeting was attended by Deputy Commissioner (Health Services) Ramesh Pawar, Superintendent of Sion Hospital Dr Ramesh Bharmal, Superintendent of KEM Hospital Dr Hemant Deshmukh, Superintendent of Nair Hospital Dr Joshi, Cooper Hospital Superintendent Dr Pinakin Gujjar, Executive Health Officer Dr Padmaja Keskar, Medical Superintendent Jadhav along with concerned officers.

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