BEST moves infected staffers from MMR to city for treatment

Mumbai: The number of new corona cases in the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking jumped to 500 in the last one month. On Friday, there were 1,100 cases in all, double the number in in mid-June. Currently, there are 315 active cases, of which more than 70 per cent are employees who come from the adjoining municipal districts of Navi Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli and Bhiwandi.

Ever since the state government embarked on Mission Begin Again in June, cases in these regions began to spike, eventually resulting in the reimposition of lockdown in many of these districts. Due to the sudden rise in cases, there was a shortage of hospital beds, forcing the special BEST medical team to begin transferring these patients to Mumbai hospitals for better treatment.

"Most new cases are now being reported from outside Mumbai. Places in Navi Mumbai, Kalyan, Dombivli and Bhiwandi have recorded a surge in cases due to easening of lockdown and naturally, the employees residing in these areas are getting infected," BEST Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Anil Kumar Singhal told The Free Press Journal.

Most hospitals in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region are out of beds and lack adequate medical facilities, Dr Singhal said. "Considering BEST workers fall under the essential category, they are being brought to Mumbai for better treatment. Till date, BEST has shifted nearly 150 patients to various Mumbai hospitals from various adjoining districts because the medical facilities in these regions are unable to cope with the spike in cases," explained the CMO.

Further, Dr Singhal informed that so far, 13 BEST employees had succumbed to Covid-19. The BEST Workers Union has alleged there are more than 80 cases, which the management is hiding.

When asked about this, a senior BEST official said, "The death toll stands at 13. Alongside this, the management has given job to the kin of the deceased staffers. These are the official figures, the medical department and management have documents to corroborate its statement."

Further, the undertaking has transformed two Dahisar bus stations into a jumbo quarantine facility. The air-conditioned facility will have 200 beds and is aimed to treat patients from the MMR.

source https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/best-moves-infected-staffers-from-mmr-to-city-for-treatment