Mumbai: BMC to allot all beds from four jumbo centres to private hospitals

A file picture of Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani at the Kanjurmarg Jumbo Centre

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will allot all the beds from its four jumbo COVID centres to private hospitals which will run them for a minimum of three months or till the COVID-19 wave exists. But the work order of beds will be given in a phased manner.

The BMC will pay Rs 5,800 per ICU bed and Rs 1,500 per oxygenated bed at the jumbo centres. The BMC administration has finalised five centres - Ruby Allcare Services' Lifeline Hospital management services, Om Sai Aarogya Care Pvt Ltd, Medtitans Management and Apex Hospital - to run the four jumbo centres which include Dahisar, Somaiya, Kanjurmarg and Malad. It will also allot 108 ICU beds from the BKC centre to the contractors. The overall contract cost is around Rs 105 crore - mainly for staff, equipment - and does not include meals, cleanliness, security, fire services, water, sewerage management, maintenance of machinery and oxygen supply. MMRDA, MHADA and CIDCO have constructed the jumbo centres at Malad, Kanjurmarg and Somaiya ground.

There are approximately 2,200 beds at the Malad jumbo centre, 1,700 at Kanjurmarg, 1,100 at Sion and 800 at Dahisar centres, 1,100 Somaiya along with the 108 ICU beds at BKC which the five contractors will take on. The BKC centre has more than 2,400 beds.

"We were looking for partnerships for beds which require round the clock monitoring. Though we will give all the beds for management for three months, the work orders will be given in a phase wise manner. The BMC will operate these centres partially and release payment in parts - it will be given only for the beds which are occupied," said an official from the BMC.

There are six jumbo centres with a total of 7,307 beds. As and when needed, the BMC can increase the total bed capacity to 15,207.

Rs 1,500
What the BMC will pay per oxygenated bed

Rs 5,800
What the BMC will pay per ICU bed

Cost per jumbo centre

. Malad - Rs 34.52 crore

. Somaiya - Rs 22.48 crore

. Kanjurmarg - Rs 28.23 crore

. Dahisar - Rs 14.05 crore

. BKC - Rs 5.64 crore