Nagpur: The civic administration and elected representatives were at loggerheads over the sudden spurt of Covid-19 cases in the city. During the NMC general body meeting held virtually on Thursday, the elected representatives blamed the administration for the spike in coronavirus cases, while administration claimed it was doing its best to fight the pandemic.
Corporators from across all parties claimed that the spike in coronavirus cases was due to NMC’s callous attitude and said that the present Covid situation was worse than what the city witnessed in September last year.
Not only government hospitals but private hospitals also do not have beds, said Corporators, and stressed the need to restart quarantine centres or Covid Care Centres across the city. Positive patients with mild infections should be admitted in quarantine centres, while only serious patients should be admitted in hospitals, they said.
Senior corporator Abha Pande claimed that influential positive patients without having any serious health complications have occupied beds in hospitals. “So hospitalisations should be allowed only for needy patients,” she said.
Mayor Dayashankar Tiwari directed the civic administration to increase the number of vaccination centres and also to start one 24-hour vaccination centre in every assembly constituency from April 1.
The issue was discussed in the general body meeting following an adjournment motion moved by former mayor Pravin Datke.
Replying to Datke’s motion, additional municipal commissioner Ram Joshi informed the house that there are 79 private hospitals treating Covid-19 patients. All these hospitals have 2,936 beds including 1,839 oxygenated beds, 994 ICU beds and 261 beds with ventilator facilities. Similarly, the eight government-run hospitals have 1,515 beds comprising 1,152 oxygenated beds, 319 ICU beds and 271 beds with ventilator facilities.
Joshi also claimed that both private and government hospitals had beds available as on Thursday morning. However, his claim was refuted by Corporators, including Pande, who maintained that even government hospitals like GMCH had a waiting period for admitting positive patients.
Lack of beds is leading to death of patients with severe complications due to Covid-19 infection, they informed the house.
Tiwari advised the civic chief to see whether Covid-19 tests can be moved to places like community halls or any other public places from primary health centres. The existing PHCs can be utilized for vaccinations, said the mayor.
Congress Corporators Kamlesh Chowdhary and Nitin Sathawane raised the issue of private hospitals charging more from Covid-19 patients for medicines.
Senior Congress corporator Praful Gudadhe and BJP corporator Sunil Hiranwar raised the issue of lack of facilities in NMC-run Indira Gandhi Rugnalaya. They drew attention of the house towards lack of ICU facility and shortage of staff in the civic run hospital. Mayor directed the administration to look into the matter urgently.
Most of the Corporators raised the issue of administration’s failure to keep a strict check on home quarantine patients. According to them, Covid-19 positive patients were roaming freely on city streets.
The mayor directed the administration to take help of non-government organisations and their volunteers to keep a check on home quarantine patients. He also urged the Corporators to ensure all home quarantine people in their respective prabhags stay inside.