Mumbai: COVID-19 positive patient gets bed 5 hours after BMC chief steps in

Photo for representational purpose

A septuagenarian COVID-19 patient's struggle to get a hospital bed came to end after a five-hour search when Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) chief intervened. Iqbal Singh Chahal not only helped the ailing 76-year-old woman but also made sure she got her a bed in the BMC-run Seven Hills Hospital, Andheri, on Monday.

According to a report in the Times of India, Andheri resident Parveen Langrana was admitted to a Juhu hospital for bronchial infection when she tested positive for the novel coronavirus. However, as the hospital was not authorised to treat COVID-19 patients, authorities discharged her immediately.

When searching for a hospital while out on road, the patient's niece posted a tweet that went viral. The tweet caught the BMC commissioner attention.

The niece said that the family was searching for a bed since Monday morning, but they did not receive any response from the ward war room. "At no point did the Juhu hospital ask us to hold back the patient and tell us the BMC would take her," she added.

Speaking about the incident Chahal said, "Our jumbo facilities have several empty beds. I immediately asked my team to get the person's contact details and, at 4 pm, called her up myself." "She should have waited for the BMC to contact her. We have a system in place and the ward war room contacts patients who are symptomatic with bed arrangement," he added.

Later, the civic body in a tweet urged citizens to contact war rooms or 1916 stating that they have enough beds.