Employees urge BMC to allot hospital beds for virus-afflicted staff

So far, more than 1,500 civic employees — healthcare staff, engineers, workers from the conservancy department, and others on coronavirus-related duties — have been infected by the virus, while 25 have succumbed due to it.

Following frequent complaints about difficulty in finding hospital beds for coronavirus-afflicted staffers, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation employees’ union has now demanded dedicated hospital beds be allotted for the civic staff. The union has claimed that due to a shortage of beds there have been instances where civic employees, who are at the frontline of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, have had to wait for hours and in many cases take admission at hospitals outside the BMC’s limits.

So far, more than 1,500 civic employees — healthcare staff, engineers, workers from the conservancy department, and others on coronavirus-related duties — have been infected by the virus, while 25 have succumbed due to it.

“Recently, two engineers from K-East ward (Andheri East, Jogeshwari East), who were on Covid-19-related duties, were found positive of the virus. While one of them was symptomatic, the other was asymptomatic. They both had to look for hospital beds for more than eight to nine hours but failed. Finally, Assistant Municipal Commissioner of the ward had to intervene and they were admitted at the Trauma Hospital in Jogeshwari,” an official from the BMC said.

An engineer from the Building Proposal department on Covid-19 duty, the official said, was admitted at a hospital in Ambernath after he contracted the disease. Later, his wife and daughter also tested positive but were admitted at two different hospitals in Thane. “If the BMC would have made some arrangement for its frontline workers, then he would not have to run for hospital beds,” the official added.

The Municipal Engineers’ Union, too, has demanded that the civic body create a dedicated Covid-19 facility or reserve some beds in the existing treatment centres. “The civic administration should… reserve some beds for the municipal staff in the western and eastern suburbs, as most of its employees live there,” said Sainath Rajyadhaksha, president of the union.

According to the data provided by BMC till May 28, occupancy at dedicated Covid hospitals (for severe and co-morbid patients) is 96 per cent, while at dedicated Covid health centres (for moderate cases) have 80 per cent occupancy and ICU have 99 per cent occupancy. In other Covid care centres (for asymptomatic and mild patients) only 13 per cent beds are occupied, it stated.

Ramakant Bane from the municipal employees’ union said, “Every day we are getting complaints from the frontline workers who are infected that they are not getting beds. We have suggested the civic body to start dedicated centres for its employees.”

Additional Municipal Commissioner (Health) Suresh Kakani was unavailable for comment.