As fear, outrageous rumours stop Mumbai from getting tested, BMC mulls ways to ramp up numbers, a vital step to flatten the curve
BMC health workers at the testing camp at a Ganesh mandal
Despite taking COVID-19 tests right to people's doorsteps, the BMC is seeing few takers, with several wards meeting barely half their daily target. People are refusing to get tested due to growing concerns about steep hospitalisation bills, rumours of organ theft or the fear of losing their jobs if they test positive. BMC is working on reducing stigma around the disease.
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Wards that were asked to conduct 1,000 tests daily haven't even met half their target yet. Earlier this month, nine wards were given a target of 1,000 tests daily, while the rest had to conduct 400 tests a day (including antigen and RT-PCR). However, over the past week, T ward (Mulund) has been able to conduct less than 40 tests daily, while G North has conducted around 100 tests, N ward (Ghatkopar) 60 and S ward (Bhandup) around 100-150 tests. Some wards have done better, including R Central with around 450 tests, R North with around 350, R South with around 200 and P North with around 350 tests.
Corporators, who have been trying to convince people, say social media has fuelled several rumours that have discouraged them from getting tested.
Fear of kidney theft
Vinod Mishra, the BJP corporator in P North ward, said people in slums, as well as housing societies, would rather stay at home than get admitted for treatment. "People in slum areas, like Kurar village, think that if they test positive, they will be hospitalised and their kidneys will be removed. Since the BMC has closed smaller hospitals and nursing homes, people in societies are scared of going to jumbo COVID Care Centres, as they have heard about the poor quality of treatment there. And they can't afford the bigger hospitals," he said. Mishra said people should have the option of seeking treatment at an affordable private hospital.
Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi said he has heard similar stories. While some believe that people are forcibly being given harsh medicines that end up killing the patient, others think the BMC gets R1 lakh for every person who tests positive, he said. "There are all kinds of dangerous rumours that are spreading on social media that people believe to be true. For those who got admitted for treatment, relatives were left with an expensive bill after the patient died," he said.
Don't want to go to COVID centres
A testing camp was organised in Krishnadham society, Malad East, but the residents refused to get tested. Society secretary Santosh Parab said despite his best efforts, only 25 of 150 the residents came for the test. "Many residents are convinced that everyone who gets tested will get a positive result. They say they would rather figure it out at home than testing positive and being taken to quarantine centres," he said. Parab said people have no confidence in the government facilities after watching news about poor management.
People line up to get tested at the camp organised at Malad Seth charitable trust Ganesh mandal
Kishor Gandhi, assistant municipal commissioner of T ward said, "We have opened six centres in municipal schools where testing is being done for free. We had also approached a large residential society that initially agreed to a camp but cancelled a day before as many residents were opposing it."
Focus on symptomatic patients
In N ward, Ajit Kumar Ambi, assistant municipal commissioner, said people are also afraid that they will lose their job after testing positive, due to the mandatory 14-day quarantine. "Their companies ask for a negative report, and many have also been fired. If we focus more on only the symptomatic patients, there will be less panic and perhaps more people will come forward for testing," he said.
Given that increased testing will help prevent further spread of the infection in the community, the BMC is now focussing on ways to convince people to get tested. In a meeting on Thursday, ward officials were asked to present certificates to COVID-19 patients after recovery to boost their morale and reduce the stigma around the disease.
Suresh Kakani, the additional municipal commissioner, said the BMC can make the service available, but can't force people to get tested. "Earlier, there were restrictions on testing and people criticised it. Now that we have made the tests more accessible, the response is low. We have started free testing at dispensaries for high-risk contacts and we are going from society to society to inform them. All we can do is make the tests easily available and that will boost the confidence in people," he said.
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