Among the isolation centres for asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic Covid patients that the BMC has identified but hasn’t been able to make operational due to lack of doctors is a four-storey building in Khar West that belongs to Shah Rukh Khan. The actor and his wife had their offices in the building, which is located on CD Marg.
On April 24, the couple handed over the property to BMC to help expand quarantine facilities in the city. Shah Rukh, through his NGO Meer Foundation, set up 22 beds in the building. “This crisis is not going to pass in a hurry; it will take its time and its toll on all of us. It will also show us that there isn’t really a choice between looking out for ourselves and looking out for one another,” Shah Rukh had said in a statement last month.
More than a month on, after profusely thanking the actor on Twitter for the gesture, not one patient has been moved to the facility. This, when scores of Mumbaikars are complaining about lack of beds for Covid patients in public and private hospitals. H West Ward, where this property is located, has reported more than 450 Covid cases and over 60 casualties.
On Wednesday, this newspaper highlighted that a 125-bed isolation centre at the Mulund octroi naka, which is ready since May 20 but is yet to open, because there are no doctors to man it. The BMC was also forced to shelve a plan to add 100 beds to another isolation centre in Mulund because of a severe shortage severe shortage of doctors.
While Shah Rukh and his team did not respond to emails and messages from this newspaper, Congress leader and corporator from the area, Asif Zakaria, admitted the BMC wasn’t able to find doctors to run the facility. “On one hand there is a severe shortage of beds for Covid patients and even those with other ailments, and on the other hand an entire building is not being utilised. The BMC must do something about this; rope in private practitioners, get in touch with hospitals, but the facility must be used,” Zakaria said.
He said the BMC has reached out to Hinduja Hospital in Khar, but things have been delayed due to “bureaucratic red tapism”. The H West Ward’s assistant municipal commissioner, Vinayak Vispute, claimed that the facility will be opened today. “At one stage we were planning to use the facility for the municipal staff that is Covid positive. Also, toilets had to be constructed on each floor of the building,” he said.
Denying Zakaria’s claims of redtapism, Vispute said the deal with Hinduja Hospital has been finalised and it will provide staff to open the centre on Friday. “Doctors and nurses from the Khar Hinduja Hospital will report to the facility on Friday,” he said. Mirror reported on Wednesday the BMC’s desperation to fill up vacancies at SevenHills Hospital – one of the largest Covid facilities in the city – by offering double the average salaries to doctors and roping in job portals for advertising the vacancies.
Bollywood celebs extend help in the time of crisis
With the world and the nation fighting the deadly coronavirus pandemic, good samaritans from Bollywood have chipped in to help in the time of crisis. Not only did the Bollywood stars pledge support to the PM CARES fund and other relief work but they also arranged different means to help the administration tackle the situation. Here's how the Bollywood stars have been helping the nation to fight the coronavirus...After opening up his Juhu hotel to accommodate medical workers and providing meals to the underprivileged in Mumbai, the actor has now stepped up efforts to help migrant workers living in Bhiwandi. Sonu will be delivering meals to 25,000 migrants living in Bhiwandi during the holy month of Ramadan. “I’ve assured them that their requirements for the holy month will be taken care of. In these difficult times, it is important for each one of us to stand up for the other. Through this initiative, we will provide special meal kits so they didn't stay hungry after fasting all day," said Sonu. Photo: Instagram/@sonu_soodSonu Sood has named the initiative 'Ghar Bhejo' and sending migrants back to their homes with help from his friend Neeti Goel. Since May 11, Sonu has flagged off 21 buses carrying 750 migrants to Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh. On Friday (May 29), Sonu has airlifted 177 girls from Ernakulam (Kerala) to Bhubaneswar (Odisha). He is also trying to send people to West Bengal, Jharkhand and Assam. Speaking to Mirror Online, Sonu had said, "My day goes by coordinating things like transport for migrant workers, taking government permissions, organising food among other things. And I feel very happy and satisfied. If I was shooting, I wouldn't have had all the time in the world. Now, that I have all the time, it is important to give that to the needy." The Governor of Maharashtra Bhagat Singh Koshyari also lauded actor Sonu Sood for helping stranded migrant labourers to return to their native places. Meanwhile, Chef Vikas Khanna has dedicated a dish to Sonu and named it after his hometown Moga.After donating Rs 25 crores to PM CARES fund and Rs 3 crore to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Akshay Kumar has now pledged his support to Mumbai Police. The official handle of CP Mumbai Police, Param Bir Singh, thanked the Bollywood actor for his generous support. "Mumbai Police thanks @akshaykumar for contributing Rs. 2 Crore to the Mumbai Police Foundation. Your contribution will go a long way in safeguarding the lives of those who are committed to safeguarding the city - the men and women of Mumbai Police!," the official handle tweeted.Desi girl Priyanka Chopra Jonas has also been pledging support to fight the global pandemic. If reports are to be believed, The Sky Is Pink actress has provided 10,000 pairs of footwear to frontline workers in Los Angeles and also sent 10,000 pairs for medical workers in public and government hospitals in India. Photo: Instagram/@priyankachopraBollywood actress Rakul Preet Singh and her family has been helping over 200-250 families living in a slum close to her home in Gurgaon. The actress' family is preparing and sending home-cooked meal two times a day ever since the lockdown was announced. The actress and her family pledged to support these families till things normalise. "My dad figured this entire slum where people are completely out of their basics right now. We are facilitating two meals a day for all those people and we have decided to do it till the time the lockdown is in place. If the lockdown gets pushed further, I will keep doing that. For now, I have committed for the month of April and then we will see, as the situation unfolds. The food would be cooked at a place in my society and will be sent out to those people." The actress further added, "It is very important to understand that many of us are privileged. We have a house, help, food, ability to stack up in case of emergency, but this is when you give it to society. For me, nothing can give me more happiness than the smiles on these people's faces when they eat their meal. And that will make me extremely happy. So that's my way of expressing gratitude for everything I have and it is a very small effort. Whoever can make a difference should, because I truly believe in giving back to society." Photo: Instagram/@rakulpreetWhile the bigwigs of Bollywood are doing their best to help during the crisis, Farah Khan's daughter Anya too stepped in to help during the pandemic. Anya is sketching before and after school (online school due to lockdown) to raise fund. Her proud mother shared a video on socials and wrote, "1 LAKH RS raised by Anya!! Everyday b4 school n after.. n all weekends, she s diligently sketching for donations! A BIGGG thank you to all who have donated. All monies are being used to feed strays n to send food packages to the slums! (Sic)." Photo: Instagram/@farahkhankunderBollywood actress Ayesha Takia and her husband Farhan Azmi turned their hotel in Mumbai into a quarantine facility for cops. Ayesha's father-in-law Abu Asim Azmi shared the news on social media. He wrote, "Alhamdulillah, I am pleased to inform that on the request of Sr. PI - Colaba Police Station have handed over my Gulf Hotel in Colaba to @mybmc & @MumbaiPolice as a quarantine center for Police Personnels serving in South Mumbai." Photo: Instagram/@ayeshatakiaBollywood's Bhaijaan Salman Khan transferred fund into the accounts of daily wage workers of the film industry. The actor had also supported 25,000 daily wage workers who have been badly hit due to the nationwide lockdown. Photo: Instagram/@beingsalmankhanBollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has been pledging support to fight the coronavirus in various ways. The actor and his wife Gauri Khan offered their four-storey personal office space in Mumbai for quarantine facility. BMC thanked SRK and Gauri for their kind gesture. The official handle of BMC tweeted, "We thank @iamsrk & @gaurikhan for offering their 4-storey personal office space to help expand our Quarantine capacity equipped with essentials for quarantined children, women & elderly. Indeed a thoughtful & timely gesture! Photo: Instagram/@iamsrkBollywood actor Varun Dhawan has provided meals to poor people who are without jobs and homes, and healthcare workers. He has collaborated with Tata Trust for the initiative. "I have deep admiration for all those who are risking their lives by working on the frontlines. I've committed to provide meals to doctors and medical staffs at hospitals. All meals will be provided through the Taj Public Service Welfare Trust. It's a small step. But during a crisis like this, we have to make every step count. I will continue to do what best I can," Varun wrote on social media. Photo: Instagram/@varundvn
