Private hospitals in Mumbai asked to reserve 80% of beds for COVID-19 cases

Following several rounds of discussions, the Maharashtra State Government has decided to reserve up to 80 per cent of beds in private hospitals for COVID-19 and non-COVID patients. Private hospitals in the city have collectively offered 2,900 beds, which will be allocated to the patients through BMC’s helpline number - 1916. 

Officials added that charges for the beds will be in adherence to the State Government notification on the same. Additionally, hospitals that follow General Insurance Public Sector Association (GIPSA) rules will charge a patient the lowest bed rates. Hospitals that aren’t covered by GIPSA will reportedly charge patients as per the government’s rate chart.

This comes as Mumbai continues to see a spike in cases and authorities shuffle to find more beds in the city for new cases. Civic hospitals are already said to be exhausted, making this move almost necessary. However, private institutions were already engaged in battling the coronavirus in some capacity. 

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Understandably, many are skeptical about the environment in the hospitals and are unwilling to make the trip, which appears to be a global sentiment during the pandemic. 

On the other hand, doctors in Mumbai are concerned about the lack of negative pressure rooms for COVID-19 patients. Dr. Gautam Bhansali works at Bombay Hospital and represents private hospitals in discussions with the BMC. He spoke about the lack of adequate infrastructure in private hospitals. Bhansali said that there’s a need for separate ventilation channels while most hospitals have centralized air ventilation. He added that separate entry and exit doors are also required for COVID-19 patients, although the facility is currently not available in most hospitals.

Speaking on the addition of private hospital beds, Bhansali said - “In the coming days, more beds will be reserved for Covid-19 patients if required. As on Monday, private hospitals have assured 2,900 beds. Private hospitals are also facing a lot of challenges, and we are working on them one by one.”

While beds will be allotted via BMC’s helpline number, several citizens have reported inadequacies with the helpline as they were asked to Google a hospital’s number or take additional steps. This defeats the purpose of having a helpline number put in place to aid patients in need of urgent care.