The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation is probing allegations against a contractor for raising bills for 10,000 beds when only 1,060 were used at a Covid care centre. (Express file photo by Ashish Kale) A year after the first Covid-19 death was reported on April 11, 2020, in the industrial city of Pimpri-Chinchwad, it has emerged that non-Covid deaths far outnumber those from Covid. From March 2020 to March 2021, Pimpri-Chinchwad reported close to 13,800 deaths. Of these, close to 3,000 are Covid deaths and the remaning are non-Covid, which is three times more.
Civic health officials said the first Covid death was recorded at YCM hospital on April 11, 2020, when a 45-year-old man from Sangvi succumbed to the infection. “The man had co-morbidities,” officials said.
According to figures available from the PCMC health department, August and September registered the highest number of deaths in Pimpri-Chinchwad. While there were 1,815 deaths reported in September, there were 1,655 reported in August. “During these months, Covid deaths were also the highest… While August recorded 547 Covid deaths, September recorded 468,” officials said.
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Officials said on an average, a total of 800 deaths were reported every month in Pimpri in the last one year, while 250 Covid deaths were reported every month.
Dr Rajendra Wable, dean of YCM hospital and medical college, told The Indian Express, “Among non-Covid deaths, heart ailment is the top cause, followed by brain stroke, kidney disease, paralysis, multi-organ failure and road accidents.”
Dr Wable said though YCM hospital had been converted into a dedicated Covid hospital, those who could not afford expensive private hospital treatment could get treated at government hospitals such as Aundh hospital and Sassoon hospital. “Besides, they can also approach DY Patil hospital where treatment charges are low as compared to other private hospitals,” he said.
Dr Wable also said though YCM hospital had become a dedicated Covid hospital, emergency out-patient department (OPD) services for non-Covid patients remained open. “We treat 100 to 150 non-Covid patients at the emergency OPD every day,” he added.
Dr Prakash Rokde, a senior doctor and district eye surgeon said, “At Aundh hospital, both Covid and non-Covid patients are admitted. If YCMH has become Covid, patients can come to Aundh hospital… We admit non-Covid patients and scores of patients are examined at our outpatient departments daily.”
Lokmanya hospital spokesperson Dr Shrikrishna Joshi said, “We have two branches. One at Chinchwad, one at Nigdi. At Nigdi, we admit non-Covid patients… Since, PCMC hospitals have become dedicated Covid hospitals, there is massive demand from patients suffering from other ailments.”
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