Parel society to set up in-house ICU and quarantine unit
THE HOUSING SOCIETY IS CONSIDERING USING EMPTY FLATS, CLUB HOUSE AND PARTY HALL FOR THE UNIT
A housing complex in Parel plans to set up its own isolation facility and intensive care unit (ICU). Ashok Towers, comprising four high-rise buildings which house around 650 families, plans to use empty flats in the complex as well as the club house and party hall in its premises to set up medical facilities for residents.
Dr Nilesh Shah, a member of Ashok Towers’s managing committee, said, “We are in the process of identifying space for setting up facilities up to ICU beds in our club house and party hall, and are in the process of procuring necessary apparatus for the same. Ours is a private initiative that in a way supports the government as we become self-reliant this way.”
The initiative has been taken by around 20 medical professionals who live in Ashok Towers. These facilities will not cater to criticallyill patients, but are intended for asymptomatic carriers and mild cases of Covid-19. The housing society’s members said that if a resident tests positive for the virus, medical facilities on the premises will ease the burden on private and government hospitals. Residents are also planning to set up quarantine facilities in the empty flats in the housing complex, for patients with mild symptoms or the asymptomatic.
So far, four residents of Ashok Towers have contracted Covid-19. Of these, only one required hospitalisation. According to BMC’S data, more than 50% of those who test positive for Covid-19 are asymptomatic, and not more than 10% require hospitalisation.
On Wednesday, Congress legislator and Mumbai city guardian minister Aslam Shaikh requested BMC to give permission to housing societies to set up isolation facilities in clubhouses and recreational centres on their premises. Shaikh had said asymptomatic patients from the a society can be quarantined there instead of at Covid care centres. The BMC is yet to regulate on this issue.
As of June 9, around 75% of the beds for Covid-19 patients were full. Of the 17,835 available beds, around 13,390 beds were occupied. Of the beds in ICUS, 99% were occupied and 96% of ventilators were occupied.