On Friday, CNN-News18 Journalist Marya Shakil tweeted about the data released by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) that depicts the grim situation of healthcare machinery in the city of Mumbai, Maharashtra.
On May 27, it was reported that Mumbai had 32,791 cases and that it accounted for a whopping 62% of total Coronavirus cases in Maharashtra. Amidst the alarming scenario of Coronavirus outbreak in the State, data reveals that the healthcare system has been overburdened and edging towards an impending collapse.
As per the BMC data, 99% of 645 Intensive Care Units (ICUs) are occupied. Besides, there are 373 ventilators in the city, out of which 72% is occupied. Moreover, 65% of a total of 4292 oxygen beds are in use.
To add to that, just 6 out of 24 wards reportedly have more than 2,000 Coronavirus cases. The G-North ward, E-North, F-North, L, H-East, and K-West wards have 2,728, 2,438, 2,377, 2,321, 2,094, and 2,049 cases, respectively. As of April 29, Maharashtra has 59,546 confirmed cases and 1,982 deaths.
Mumbai running out of beds in ICUs.
— Marya Shakil (@maryashakil) May 29, 2020
99% ICU beds occupied in Mumbai. 72% ventilators occupied.
Hospitals treating severe #COVID19 cases 96% occupied.
The data released by BMC certainly presents a grim picture of the city carrying the highest case load. #IndiaFightsCOVID19 pic.twitter.com/Izf5cV4HLV
Patients forced to shared Beds
According to a Guardian report, the coronavirus patients being treated at Mumbai’s Sion hospital emergency ward are now allegedly sharing beds, with two people being allocated to a bed. With a rising shortage in beds, the patients, many with coronavirus symptoms are also sharing a single oxygen tank. The videos of the patients lying almost on top of each other, sleeping on shared stretchers, or just lying on the floor had also gone viral some days back.
Maharashtra Government’s PR Strategy
Amidst allegations of mismanagement, a marketing campaign was launched to show how CM Uddhav Thackeray was the best Chief Minister and was handling the pandemic rather effectively. While the suspicions about the PR campaign for Uddhav Thackeray were just about gaining wind, a tweet by actress and model Urvashi Rautela had given fuel to those speculations. Refuting allegations of plagiarism, she said that it was the “same tweet” which was “provided” to “her and Siddharth Malhotra” by the Mumbai Police and hence, “nobody copied anyone”.
