MUMBAI: Soon, five-star hotels such as InterContinental at Marine Drive and Trident at BKC will be used as "step-down facilities" for Covid patients from major private hospitals in the city who are on the road to recovery or require minimal medical intervention. In a circular issued on April 14, the BMC has said that such facilities at star hotels will serve as an extension and an integral part of private hospitals.
For patients who do not require emergency medical intervention, or oxygenation, ICU or ventilator beds will be moved to the hotels and hospitals linked to them will assess their clinical condition regularly. While Bombay Hospital is linked to Intercontinental, H N Reliance Foundation Hospital is with BKC's Trident.
Hotel step-down facilities to have ambulances ready
The facilities will provide hospitality services in coordination with private hospitals. These hospitals may charge patients up to Rs 4,000, inclusive of taxes and meals, per day per bed. This amount will be paid to the hotels by the hospitals. The hospital will charge extra for medical expenses, doctor visits and other incidental charges. If a patient’s Covid-positive close relatives are willing to share a room, the hospital may charge up to Rs 6,000 for two beds.
Any other positive, asymptomatic patient, too, can also utilise the service—after medical assessment by the linked private hospital’s medical team.
MCGM has increased beds across all categories of Covid care facilities. Yet, there is a time lag in getting a bed, especially in private hospitals. If patients are shifted to a step-down facility, more beds will be freed up. “These will help initiate treatment on time and reduce the fatality rate,” stated a BMC circular.
A senior civic ward officer said while they have started talks with private hospitals, such an arrangement can be executed only if they have the required staff. “While many hotels are willing to take patients as their business is any way reduced due to the restrictions, the hospital needs to have the required staff,”
Dr Gautam Bhansali, who will be coordinating with Inter-Continental, said the hospitallinked hotel rooms will be for asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic patients or those on their way to recovery with no oxygen or intravenous medicine dependence. “If a patient develops a sudden requirement for oxygen there will be five ambulances parked with oxygen support to ferry them to a nearest hospital.”
Civic officials took the decision based on a calculation that if 33 major private hospitals can send a minimum of five patients to the hotels, it will free up to 200 beds a day. Bhansali said several hospitals, including Mahim's Hinduja and Chembur’s Surana, have shown willingness.