The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will issue license suspension notices to 428 nursing homes that remained shut despite repeated warnings and advisories from authorities to keep clinics open to treat non-Covid-19 patients. In a statement issued on Monday, BMC said it will issue notices to around 25% of the total 1,496 nursing homes in the city asking them why the nursing homes should not lose their licenses.
Municipal commissioner Praveen Pardeshi had last week directed the public health department to issue advisories and guidelines to reopen nursing homes and private clinics. BMC said nursing homes, polyclinics and dispensaries, which are reported to be shut despite the warning, will face action.
Last week, BMC had also warned housing societies to not object to reopening of private clinics in their premises and had also requested private clinics to practise tele-medicine facility, if possible. Thousands of citizens are not getting medical aid and treatment for non-Covid-19 ailments as many private clinics, nursing homes have shut shop.
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With 369 more people testing positive cases on Monday, the total count of cases in the city is now at 5,776. The death toll has also increased to 219 with 15 more people dying of Covid-19 on Monday, according to the state health department.
To tackle the rising number of cases, BMC has decided to set up additional 500 beds for quarantine and isolation facilities in Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) at MMRDA grounds. Pardeshi confirmed the development. The civic body has also set up a 1,200-bedded quarantine facility at Nesco exhibition centre, Goregaon (East). Of the 1,200 beds, around 1,000 beds will have oxygen support attached to the beds.
The civic body also appealed to those recovering to opt for plasma donation for curing those who have tested positive of the virus.
