Fight Against Coronavirus: A Look Inside India’s First Dedicated COVID-19 Hospital In Mumbai

New Delhi: The coronavirus that World Health Organisation has declared a “Pandemic” has affected people around the globe. To fight the crisis in India, Mumbai has set up India’s first COVID-19 dedicated hospital, which is fully funded by Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), India’s largest company in collaboration with Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The COVID-19 special ward has been set up in hospital SevenHills that is located in Andheri East area of Mumbai.  Talking about the facilities that have been provided in this special ward of the hospital, a spokesperson from BMC said,

We all are currently waging a war against coronavirus. It is very important for each one of us to win this. On our part, we have come out in support and helped in setting up India’s first COVID-19 dedicated facilities at Seven Hills Hospital in Mumbai. The hospital has around 100 beds to treat coronavirus infected patients in Mumbai. Moreover, all beds are equipped with the required infrastructure, biomedical equipment such as ventilators, pacemakers, dialysis machines, and patient monitoring devices.

Also Read: Coronavirus Outbreak: Experts Explain What India Needs To Focus On, In Its Fight Against The Pandemic

Watch: A Look Inside India’s First Coronavirus Dedicated Hospital

#WATCH Maharashtra: India's first dedicated #COVID19 hospital in Mumbai, set up by Reliance Industries. 101 positive #COVID19 cases have been reported in the state, so far. pic.twitter.com/F3IBC2rGo4

— ANI (@ANI) March 24, 2020

An official statement from Reliance Industries highlighting about the facility in Mumbai also said,

This first-of-its-kind-in-India centre is fully dedicated to fight the crisis of coronavirus. The hospital also includes a negative pressure room that helps in preventing cross-contamination and helps control infection. It is the time when all of us need to do something to fight the outbreak of coronavirus in the country, we are doing whatever we can. Reliance Industries is also enhancing its production capacities to produce 100,000 face-masks per day and a large number of personal protective equipment for the nation’s health workers to equip them further to fight COVID-19.

Also Read: Coronavirus Outbreak: A Complete List Of Places In India Where You Can Get Tested For COVID-19

Along with this, the company has also announced initial support of Rs 5 crores to Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to fight the pandemic and Rs 500 crore contribution to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s relief fund for coronavirus.

Highlighting the importance of COVID-19 dedicated hospitals in India at this given point, a spokesperson from Public Health Foundation Of India who is dedicatedly tracking coronavirus outbreak in the country said,

The treatment for the highly contagious virus – COVID-19 is very different and needs to be done with extra precautions as the chances of the spread are very high. Therefore as a critical step, the patients infected with coronavirus needed to be kept and treated in an isolated ward or facility which has no contact with the rest of the hospital in terms of the staff or access. In India, at this given point there are very few hospitals that have such infrastructure or facilities (to become COVID-19 dedicated hospital) and therefore proper planning is being done in this 21-days lockdown and it will be executed soon. Government is already in talks with 17 states and the health ministry has recently informed that soon these states will start COVID-19 dedicated hospital facilities.

Dr Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS adds,

The start-to-end treatment of COVID-19 patients is very different than other sick patients. The infected people are very sick and delicate, the hospital staff who is treating them should also have the protection gear on because chances of the infection spreading to them are high in this case. Therefore the staff is required to wear gloves, masks and a protective suit. The staff cannot be allowed to go from this dedicated ward to another and use the same equipments, therefore infrastructure wise, COVID-19 facilities are put or set up in an isolation with no contact from the rest of the hospital, which is the key and very important difference.

Also Read: Why Does Coronavirus Spread So Easily? Experts Explain

View Pics

This first-of-its-kind-in-India centre is fully funded by Reliance Foundation and includes a negative pressure room that helps in preventing cross-contamination and helps control infection #CoronaHaregaIndiaJeetega 2/4 pic.twitter.com/kO8bCA5K71

— Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital (@RFhospital) March 23, 2020

All beds are equipped with the required infrastructure, bio medical equipment such as ventilators, pacemakers, dialysis machine and patient monitoring devices, etc. #CoronaHaregaIndiaJeetega 3/4 pic.twitter.com/YByUXDZpiF

— Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital (@RFhospital) March 23, 2020

How Maharashtra Is Fighting The Outbreak Of Coronavirus

As of March  30, Maharashtra has the maximum number of infected cases in India, with five COVID-19 deaths so far. Three of these were from Mumbai and two from the peripheral area of Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

As the number of cases mount, The Public Health Department of Maharashtra has recently come up with a WhatsApp number (+91-20-2612-7394) that will answer all the queries and give out important information to the public on coronavirus.

Also Read: COVID-19: What Tests Are Needed? Who Should Take The Coronavirus Test? All You Need To Know

Say Hi to this WhatsApp number!
+912026127394
And get response to your basic queries about Corona Virus https://t.co/kOVi4wMCNR

— Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) March 29, 2020

Apart from this, in Mumbai, disinfection drive by BMC in public places is being done on a regular basis to kill the infection. Here are few glimpses of the drive which is being carried by BMC during this lockdown.

In continuation to the disinfection drive, @mybmcwardGS staff today made small intervention for speedy disinfection of the public places by using a vehicle for carrying the labour’s and disinfectant. Here are glimpses of the disinfection carried out at Worli Koliwada. @mybmc pic.twitter.com/QASMCbBlSk

— WARD GS BMC (@mybmcWardGS) March 28, 2020

मुंबईमध्ये फायर ब्रिगेड आणि @mybmc तर्फे जंतुनाशकांची फवारणी सुरू झाली आहे. pic.twitter.com/5RPkWiYBLh

— Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) March 27, 2020