How city gave Maha its biggest quarantine unit within 60 hrs

350 patients attended to so far; team has 100 docs, 150 nurses, 150 Class 4 staff We don’t have testing facilities, but we collect samples and send them to Kasturba Hospital for analysis. So far, 275 samples have been sent for testing. DR MOHAN JOSHI, dean of Lokmanya Tilak General Hospital, who is currently leading the hospital

According to Dr Joshi, the hospital has attended to 350 patients in eight wards till Thursday and 120 patients have been discharged.

“We don’t have testing facilities, but we collect samples and send them to Kasturba Hospital for analysis. So far, 275 samples have been sent for testing,” said Joshi. As HT has reported earlier, BMC has plans to add 150 beds to the hospital’s current strength of 350. In addition to this, two beds under intensive care unit (ICU) will be added to the facility with 30 ventilators. The hospital is fumigated every hour and is heavily guarded. Only authorised personnel may enter after several rounds of checking.

The staff work in three shifts, with 100 doctors, 150 nurses and another 150 class IV employees in each shift. “When I was told that I would have to work in the Covid-19 quarantine centre, I was scared. Hundreds of medicos had been affected with the virus in China while treating patients. But nothing can match our happiness when we see travellers going back to their homes,” said a nurse at the facility.

MUMBAI: In a bid to contain the risk of spread of coronavirus in prisons across the state, the state home department on Thursday decided to release 11,000 undertrials and convicts imprisoned for seven years on “emergency furlough”.

State home minister Anil Deshmukh tweeted, “I’ve asked for releasing nearly 11,000 convicts/undertrials imprisoned for offences with prescribed punishment up to 7 years or less on emergency parole/furlough to reduce overcrowding in prisons and contain the risk of a COVID-19”

According to a senior home department official, there are about 36,000 prisoners housed in 45 prisons.

Of which, 26,000 are undertrials, while the remaining 10,000 are convicted.

“The government has decided to release 2,000 of the 7,000, who are convicted with a sentence of less than seven years,” said an official from the home department.

“About 7,000 prisoners will be released on bail. These are undertrials, but could be convicted for at least seven years,” he said.

The official said that the district level committees headed by sessions court judge will take a call on which convict or undertrial should be released.

ACCORDING TO A SENIOR HOME DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL, THERE ARE ABOUT 36,000 PRISONERS HOUSED IN 45 PRISONS