Inside Mumbai’s biggest Covid care hospital

The top view of the Jumbo COVID Care Centre on MMRDA Grounds at Malad West, captured on Tuesday. The facility has a total of 2,140 beds, with about 30-50 allotted for children. Pics/Suresh Karkera

By Suresh Karkera, Sameer Markande, and Prajakta Kasale

As people struggled to get beds on time during the peak of the second wave, officials in charge swore that it will never happen again. They quickly drew up a plan to build more jumbo centres on the lines of the one at BKC to be better prepared. The first of them, seventh in the city overall, is ready. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, which was tasked with building the centre, is ready to present the keys to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

Dr Prashant Mishra, dean, jumbo centre in Malad

It is pretty similar to the one at BKC, barring a big difference - the centres built last year were supposed to function for six months, but this one is built to last for at least two years.

One of the oxygenated wards of the centre is almost ready; only mattresses are to be fitted and chairs will be brought in. All the 516 beds in the ward have oxygen supply. Pics/Suresh Karkera

After the second wave hit Mumbai, and the number of active patients inched closer to a lakh, the BMC decided to increase the number of centres and the capacity of the existing centres. Other planning authorities like MMRDA, MHADA and CIDCO had taken the responsibility to construct these centres and provide the equipment. The finishing touches are still going on and it will be handed over to the BMC within the next week.

Another oxygenated ward with work on some furniture underway. Pic/Suresh Karkera

"The centre has three big wards, each with 516 beds, all equipped with oxygen supply," said Dr Prashant Mishra, dean of the centre. "The pipelines are wider so that pressure can be maintained equally across all beds. In addition, there are 190 ICU beds with a special ward for paediatric patients. A 40-bed triage is at the entrance and a 384-bed isolation tent has been constructed at the other side so that stable patients can be shifted before their discharge."

A welder works on a piece of furniture at the centre on Tuesday. Pic/Sameer Markande

Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani said two more centres at Sion and Kanjurmarg are expected to be ready by the month-end.

In the ICU ward, all beds are fitted with a ventilator, oxygen and other critical medical equipment. There will be four such wards with 190 beds altogether. Pic/Suresh Karkera

190
The number of ICU beds that the centre will have

384
No. of beds that the isolation tent will house

516
No. of beds, all oxygenated, that each ward will have

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He struggled to find a bed for his mother

Dean Dr Prashant Mishra is a cardiac surgeon at the civic-run Lokmanya Tilak Hospital, Sion. While most doctors at his level like to stay away from administrative duties, Dr Mishra has embraced the responsibility of heading the facility. "I completed my MBBS and MD in Indore and my parents were still staying near Indore," he said. "Three months ago, both got COVID-19 in the second wave. "I was searching for a bed for my mother for more than four hours but didn't get any. Finally, we had to shift her to a hospital with not many facilities. My father survived but my mother succumbed. Despite being a doctor, I couldn't help her when she needed it most. That is why I have taken up the responsibility of this centre."