The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is strengthening the jumbo facility at NESCO centre in Goregaon to treat critical patients, but is short on manpower and specialised equipment as well. To tackle the issue, they have appointed 23 private doctors for the ICU which will probably start this week and are also trying to procure some high-end ventilators. In a bid to encourage the public to opt for civic-run COVID-19 facilities, they are also trying to tie up with intensivists and pulmonologists from top private hospitals to help with the treatment of critical patients at the jumbo centres.

Preparations to start ICU

Last week, the civic body had added 270 ICU beds to the jumbo centres, and the bulk of them (200 beds) was allocated to the NESCO centre in Goregaon. Dr Neelam Andrade, dean of the jumbo facility at NESCO, said that they will first start with 50 ICU beds. "We appointed 23 private doctors - on a two-month contract - with experience of working in intensive care ranging from six months to 22 years to attend to critical patients. We are starting with 50 beds to see how things go," she said.