Taking cognisance of the fact that as many as 30 critical patients were undergoing cancer treatment and another 22 critical patients were being treated for cardiac/nephro ailments, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday made some changes in its earlier decision to convert Mumbai’s famed Jaslok Hospital in south Mumbai into a dedicated Covid-19 hospital.
A day after it announced its decision to convert Jaslok Hospital into a dedicated Covid-19 hospital, the BMC amended its earlier move and decided not to convert the private medical facility into a fully dedicated Covid-19 hospital, saying that it did “not want to risk the lives of these 52 critical non-COVID patients, presently admitted in Jaslok hospital”.
In a revised order issued on Friday, the BMC said that it had conveyed its Thursday’s decision to the Jaslok Hospital management. “However, it has been brought to the notice of MCGM by the said management that presently 30 critical patients undergoing cancer treatment and another 22 critical patients undergoing cardiac/nephro treatment are already admitted in the hospital and considering their medical condition, shifting them to other hospital at this juncture may prove fatal,” Mumbai Municipal Commissioner I S Chahal said in his revised order.
“Hence, it is imperative on part of MCGM not to risk the lives of these 52 critical non-COVID patients, presently admitted in Jaslok hospital. Presently, 227 activated beds exist in Jaslok hospital,” Chahal said.
Making amendments in his earlier order, Chahal said “Of the total 227 beds in Jaslok Hospital, 175 beds will function as COVID beds. Of these 175 Covid beds, 29 will be ICU beds”
Chahal said that the remaining 52 beds catering to above mentioned critical patients shall continue to be non-COVID beds. “ Rest of the conditions in our earlier will remain unchanged,” he said. In effect, the BMC will utilise 175 out of 227 beds to treat Covid-10 patients.
Meanwhile, the BMC has instructed the hospital management to discharge all the non-cancer and cardiac/nephro patients undergoing treatment in speciality wards, to shift all such patients requiring non-Covid tertiary care to nearby tertiary hospitals in 48 hours and to discharge all patients admitted for electivetreatments by postponing their surgeries.
The BMC has also asked the Jaslok Hospital management to augment suspected/ holding area for suspected Covid-19 cases, if required and follow all protocols and guidelines laid down for dedicated Covid hospitals as earlier.