Mumbai: BMC to shut five jumbo Covid centres as number of coronavirus infections dip in the city

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to close five of its jumbo Covid centres in view of the decreasing Covid-19 cases in the city. Three other centres were shut after the first wave of the pandemic. However, even as the eight jumbo centres close, 11,165 beds will be available across hospitals and the Somaiya jumbo centre will be kept ready in case of a necessity.
BMC to shut five jumbo Covid centres as number of coronavirus infections dip

Representational Image

Photo : PTI
Mumbai: Amid the falling number of coronavirus infections in the city, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday announced that it will be shutting down the jumbo Covid centres or field hospitals in Mumbai in a phased manner.
The BMC will be closing five mega centres now while previously, after the first phase of the pandemic, three jumbo care centres were closed. However, the Somaiya jumbo centre in the Sion area will be kept ready in case there is a fresh necessity, the BMC said in a release.
The jumbo Covid centres at NESCO Goregaon, Dahisar and Kanjurmarg were closed in the first phase and those at Worli, BKC, Byculla, Mulund and Malad will be shut in the second phase.
Even after the shutting down of the eight centres, 11,165 beds will be available across hospitals in the city for COVID-19 patients and more beds can be added as and when necessary, the BMC said.
For now, COVID-19 patients will undergo treatment at the four main civic-run hospitals and 16 suburban hospitals apart from the Kasturba hospital in Chinchpokli.
The civic body opened up its first jumbo Covid centre at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) on May 18, 2020, two months after the first COVID-19 case was detected in the city. As the pandemic progressed, eight such centres with a total of 12,375 regular beds and 907 ICU beds were set up and lakhs of patients were treated there in two years.
The BMC later opened vaccination centres at these field hospitals.
Meanwhile, in the past few months, the city hospitals have witnessed an almost negligible number of Covid-19 patient admissions which has prompted the BMC to close jumbo centres in two phases, said additional municipal commissioner Sanjeev Kumar.
End of Article