With city on brink of COVID-19 vaccine implementation, additional civic commissioner Suresh Kakani, man behind the civic health scene, speaks of how past 9 months have changed not only health management, but him, too
Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner. Pic/Suresh Karkera
The man behind the scenes in BMC, Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani, who has been handling the Health Department, had a rollercoaster of 2020. Having been at work for nine months without a break, he managed to evade COVID-19. In an interview, Kakani tells mid-day of the challenges ahead and the agenda for health infrastructure in the city.
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Civic medical officers during a training session for vaccine administration in Dadar West. Kakani said vaccination plans at the micro-level are in place. File pic
How would you describe the experience of working during a pandemic?
When I joined the BMC in December 2019, I hardly knew I would be constantly on my toes, managing a pandemic. But I have learned how to rise above challenges and not give up. We saw the worst situations but kept coming up with ideas to manage things and move forward. We are hoping the new strain stays away from the city.
How did your family react to you being on the field every day?
They have been supportive. The pandemic helped me motivate my daughter, a recent MBBS graduate, to work in a COVID ward and witness the situation firsthand. Tough times teach you to be good at your work.
Did you get leave during these months?
No, I have not been able to take leave and not falling sick was on top of my agenda.
What key decisions were game-changers in COVID management?
People are already aware of steps like jumbo centres, caps on the private hospitals' bills, the task force of expert doctors. But one important move was providing oxygen through the turbo system instead of the earlier manual one where oxygen cylinders have to be filled. It was very time-consuming.
Are there cases of the mutated COVID strain in the city?
There are around 20 people who came from the UK and tested positive. The samples are being tested at Pune's National Institute of Virology. We hope it is not present; six of the 20 patients have recovered and tested negative.
What is the plan for vaccinations?
Plans at the micro-level related to storage, transport, vaccination centres, training of staff are in place. Our model centre at Cooper hospital will be ready by Saturday and replicated by others. Vaccine implementation should take place without glitches.
Is there an update on the charges?
There are absolutely no plans or discussions as there are no directives from the central or state government.
How will BMC ensure fair distribution?
This is entirely technology-driven. People will have to enrol on the CoWin application so that the process is fair and there is no manual intervention.
Where do you think the BMC excelled and failed in COVID management?
We have been successful in keeping the mortality rate in check and have been focussing on giving critical patients extra attention. However, we found it extremely difficult in the beginning when the line of treatment was not set and many were clueless. This was our low point but later, with the task force and the involvement of experts, we coped up. Now there are hardly any cases in the slums, which was a major fear initially. But we tackled it well. Our entire staff must be applauded for this.
Knowing its importance now, how does BMC plan to update health infrastructure?
We have plans to renovate Sion hospital. We are also planning to introduce health cards and health calendars. Through health cards, health officials will reach out to citizens and track illnesses. This will ensure focused healthcare facilities. For example, if through this drive, it is found a particular ward has more TB patients than others, TB care will be given to it. Health calendars will inform people of what diseases can happen in which place, in what season.
And what are the new plans for health facilities?
We will be developing five new facilities. Of the five facilities, one is planned at Chandivli, another at Govandi. Work is likely to begin in 2021.
Six
No. of patients in the 20 who have recovered
20
No. of passengers who arrived from UK who have tested positive
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