Mumbai: 27 nursing homes again converted into Covid centres

MUMBAI: The civic body on Monday allowed 27 nursing homes to again start admitting Covid patients owing to the rise in requirement of hospital beds. It had previously stopped 72 nursing homes from treating Covid cases due to higher death rates.

Eighty per cent of Covid beds and all the ICU beds in these 27 hospitals would now be reserved for the BMC. The local war room of the BMC will refer patients for these beds, and the nursing homes can charge the patients according to the state’s fixed rates.

These 27 nursing homes pulled into service have a total of 1,438 beds, including 151 ICU beds. There were instances in the recent past where Covid patients struggled to get beds in private hospitals in emergencies, forcing the civic authority to change its earlier decision.

Additional municipal commissioner Suresh Kakani said, “We have allowed nursing homes with good ICUs, ventilators, oxygen support and backup, and MD doctors on rolls to admit Covid patients again.” There has been a demand for ICU beds in suburban hospitals from people who do not want to go to jumbo centres.

After cases started rising in the city, BMC reserved 80% of Covid beds and 100% of ICU beds in all hospitals and nursing homes in the city for itself. It was decided then that patients recommended by BMC would be admitted to these beds and would be charged according to the government’s fixed rates.