BMC officials reveal lessons Mumbai learnt from first wave of Covid

Hyderabad : 08/05/2021

BMC officials reveal lessons Mumbai learnt from first wave of Covid infections

Top officials of Mumbai's civic body, the BMC, revealed the lessons they learnt from the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic and how timely measures have enabled hospitals in the city to cope with the surge in infections.

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Health workers collect swab sample for Covid-19 test, amid second wave of the coronavirus infections (Picture Credits: PTI)

The Supreme Court on Wednesday praised Mumbai's civic body, for its management of the Covid-19 situation. “Delhi government must see if these measures can be replicated in the national capital,” suggested the Apex Court.

From appealing to citizens to be more conscientious and adhere to Covid-19 safety norms to increasing hospital beds, Mumbai's top officials share measures taken by the BMC to tackle the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

"We learned during the first wave that oxygen supply is critical and that if it is not sustained, we will face supply issues. As a result, we prepared ourselves from the moment the first wave appeared,” said Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner.

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The BMC also launched a campaign in January to replace the cylinder-based system with a pipe-based system in its hospitals and Jumbo Covid Centres across Mumbai. The system was equipped with a valve and regulator that allowed the oxygen requirement to be controlled.

“If we alert people that there will be a water supply crisis tomorrow, they will begin to stockpile water, exacerbating the problem. Rather, inform them that they must monitor the water supplies and provide specifics. For private hospital oxygen supply, we used the same technique, "said Suresh Kakani.

The BMC asked private hospitals to sustain their oxygen supply cycle and to keep 20 per cent of their supply in reserve, assuring them that they would get supply if needed, which prevented hoarding.

“The BMC also conducted a training session, stressing the importance of reducing reliance on external sources such as oxygen. It also advised doctors to use treatments such as medication and a six-minute walk test to help the patient's ability,” Suresh Kakani said.

According to BMC reports, this training increased their discharge rate and hence their reliance on oxygen supply.

"Our aim has been to decentralise cities like Mumbai; we had 24 ward level war rooms, which solved our issue of making beds available to patients, and the same strategy has enabled us to fully monitor the Covid-19 situation in Mumbai,” BMC commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal told India Today TV.

Meanwhile, the BMC will be setting up 16 on-site oxygen generation plants in 12 of its hospitals, which will produce 43 metric tonnes of oxygen.

"Sixteen plants will be set up at 12 hospitals in Mumbai. Projects will be completed within a month after tenders are out. They will have the capacity of producing 43 metric tons of oxygen each day. The lifespan of the project will be 15 years. Compared to jumbo cylinders, the pricing will be less," a BMC official said.

Of the two plants that were installed over the last two years, one is at the Kasturba Hospital which produces 500 cubic meters of oxygen per day while the other one at Hinduhridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Care Centre in Jogeshwari produces 1740 cubic metres of oxygen per day.