COVID-19 in Mumbai: 400 pregnant women to lose affordable care

The hospital has finally been able to restart its dialysis centre

Four hundred pregnant women, availing the services of Millat nursing home in Jogeshwari West, have been left at the mercy of private hospitals for maternity care. Reason: the centre had to shut both its dialysis and gynaecology departments after a staffer tested positive last month. The administration has now requested the health department to let them restart the maternity services.

The nursing home administration has finally been able to restart the dialysis centre, which had to be shut down after a staffer working in the same department tested positive. About 252 kidney patients were left in the lurch due to the closure.

The dialysis patients and their relatives were running from pillar to post to get the procedure done but no private or government hospital was ready to do it without a COVID-19 test. The hospital authority spoke to Guardian Minister Aslam Shaikh, Mayor Kishori Pednekar and other politicians and managed to get the centre reopened.

Speaking to mid-day, trustee Siddique Jaan Mohammed said, "The management of Millat nursing home is thankful to Medical Officer Health, K West ward, Gulnar Khan; Assistant Municipal Commissioner, Vishwas Mote; Mayor Pednekar and Guardian Minister, Aslam Shaikh for helping us reopen the dialysis centre. The dialysis patients are finally relieved. We request the government to allow us restart the gynaecology department as 400 maternity patients are facing a lot of difficulties."

A staffer said, "It being a charitable medical centre, the charges are very low compared to private hospitals. We charge Rs 8,000 to Rs 9,000 for a normal delivery and R25,000 to R30,000 for c-sections. But now patients have been forced to move to private hospitals where they are charged more than R80,000 for the c-section."

The nursing home administration has requested the government to let them restart the maternity services

Forty-four-year-old Kalimullah Khan, who runs a bakery business in Jogeshwari, said, "I suffered a lot due to the closure of Millat nursing home's gynaecology department. I visited several hospitals and finally a private hospital in Jogeshwari agreed to admit my wife, who underwent a c-section two days back. For the surgery the hospital charged Rs 70,000. I did not have so much money and had to borrow from friends and relatives. I will also request the hospital to reduce the bill amount."

Nadeem Mansoori, 30, from Malwani area said, "My wife's name is also registered at Millat nursing home. Her expected delivery date is next month, so it's important for the hospital to start functioning fully, or else it will be a huge problem for me."

Another patient living in Khopoli Raigarh has her name registered at the nursing home. She is expecting her child in the first week of June. Her parents, who live in Dharavi, are extremely worried since the day they heard about the shutting down of the gynaecology department.

Rs 9,000
Approx amount the nursing home charges for a normal delivery

Rs 25,000
Amount a private hospital usually charges for a normal delivery

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