MUMBAI: As Covid-19 cases continue to surge in the city and state, Maharashtra’s medical education department has sent a plea to the Kerala government, whose success story has drawn praise world-wide, for specialist doctors and nurses. In a letter to Kerala health minister KK Shailaja on Saturday, the state has sought 50 specialist doctors and 100 nurses to manage the 600-bed Covid Care Centre coming up at Mahalaxmi Race Course.
The state has assured specialist doctors will be given a monthly remuneration of Rs 2lakh, MBBS doctors Rs 80,000 and nurses will be paid Rs 30,000, besides all other facilities. In the letter, Dr TP Lahane, head of Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER), has said Mumbai and Pune, which are likely to see more cases, will require more doctors and nurses. He also said discussions have already been held with Doctors Without Borders. “Kerala offered to help, hence, we sent a formal letter for medical personnel,” said Lahane.
While both the state and civic authorities have so far maintained there is no shortage of doctors and nurses in the Covid hospitals, the ground reality is different. At the BYL Nair Hospital, which is a dedicated Covid facility, the management has been trying in vain to find more senior specialists as some of their own faculty members have stayed away.
Sources said the BMC has also been struggling to meet the requirement for doctors and nurses at the upcoming jumbo centres at MMRDA ground in BKC and NESCO in Goregaon, which will have 1,000 beds each, and Mahalaxmi, which will have 600 beds, including a 125-bed ICU facility.
Speaking to TOI, Kerala-based Dr Santosh Kumar, vice-president, Doctors Without Borders, said, “We have reached out to the private sector doctors in Kerala as government doctors are needed here. Already five doctors and 20 nurses have shown willingness to go to Mumbai.”
The question is why Maharashtra, with over 1.5lakh registered medical practitioners, needs external help. Denying a shortage, Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, secretary of medical education department, said the state was simply preparing to handle the peak better. “We have 30% of India’s registered doctors, but the idea is to have the next defence ready.”
BMC’s additional municipal commissioner Suresh Kakani too said there was no shortage and that 30 doctors, 40 nurses and 30 paramedics had already been posted at the MMRDA centre, which was likely to be thrown open to patients from Monday.
The state has assured specialist doctors will be given a monthly remuneration of Rs 2lakh, MBBS doctors Rs 80,000 and nurses will be paid Rs 30,000, besides all other facilities. In the letter, Dr TP Lahane, head of Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER), has said Mumbai and Pune, which are likely to see more cases, will require more doctors and nurses. He also said discussions have already been held with Doctors Without Borders. “Kerala offered to help, hence, we sent a formal letter for medical personnel,” said Lahane.
While both the state and civic authorities have so far maintained there is no shortage of doctors and nurses in the Covid hospitals, the ground reality is different. At the BYL Nair Hospital, which is a dedicated Covid facility, the management has been trying in vain to find more senior specialists as some of their own faculty members have stayed away.
Sources said the BMC has also been struggling to meet the requirement for doctors and nurses at the upcoming jumbo centres at MMRDA ground in BKC and NESCO in Goregaon, which will have 1,000 beds each, and Mahalaxmi, which will have 600 beds, including a 125-bed ICU facility.
Speaking to TOI, Kerala-based Dr Santosh Kumar, vice-president, Doctors Without Borders, said, “We have reached out to the private sector doctors in Kerala as government doctors are needed here. Already five doctors and 20 nurses have shown willingness to go to Mumbai.”
The question is why Maharashtra, with over 1.5lakh registered medical practitioners, needs external help. Denying a shortage, Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, secretary of medical education department, said the state was simply preparing to handle the peak better. “We have 30% of India’s registered doctors, but the idea is to have the next defence ready.”
BMC’s additional municipal commissioner Suresh Kakani too said there was no shortage and that 30 doctors, 40 nurses and 30 paramedics had already been posted at the MMRDA centre, which was likely to be thrown open to patients from Monday.
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