Double Whammy For Mumbai Nisarga Rains Misery Amid War On Covid

Though Mumbai escapes worst of the cyclone, evacuations and shifting of coronavirus patients pose a ‘viral’ challenge

- Tanushree Pandey, Pankaj Upadhyay and Saurabh Vaktania

Cyclone Nisarga spared Mumbai from its worst fallout but it did spell a double whammy as heavy rain and strong wind worsened health care facilities in a city that’s been hit the hardest by Covid-19.

Nearly 250 patients had to be shifted from a coronavirus treatment centre at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) to now overflowing National Sports Club of India’s dome in Worli.

The storm also caused a few damages to the BKC facility. Now it can safely accommodate patients again only after IMD gives a go ahead. If this facility is rendered unfit for patients, it will be a huge setback for the state government.

Meanwhile, the sudden viral load at the Worli facility caused more trouble for health care workers.

Dr Varsha Chaturvedi said, We are overwhelmed after this sudden shifting of patients. Shortage of health care staff is acute. One doctor is catering to at least 100 patients, from recording their vitals to checking oxygen supplies. Our core team has only 6 doctors who are working round the clock. Authorities have promised to give us more doctors but that’s yet to happen.

Authorities were not at all prepared for this double whammy. They shifted the patients in haste, without even giving us their medical records or any details about their treatment. As a result, we have to start the process from scratch. We also cater to Covid patients with severe co-morbidities and pregnant women, situation is not manageable, Dr Chaturvedi added.