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Written by Yogesh Naik
With the death rate due to Covid-19 slowly rising in Mumbai, the BMC has devised a programme called Mission Save Lives to prevent loss of lives due to Covid.
The daily case fatality rate in Mumbai stands at 1.5 per cent — substantially higher than 0.8% registered a fortnight ago.
“The death rate has increased in the second wave and this is a cause for concern. We asked the task force to give a presentation to all private and civic hospitals staff of Mumbai on the treatment protocol to be followed. We have observed that there is a late reporting of cases to the BMC or the Covid hospitals and late referral of cases from smaller hospitals to bigger Covid facilities and this has to be stopped. Besides, patients with comorbidities have to be given special attention,” Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani, who looks after the health department, said.
As part of the initiative, instructions have been given to ensure that all Covid patients are asked to sleep in a prone position, which helps boost blood oxygen levels.
Kakani said that all doctors treating Covid have been told to give drugs only when needed and reduce excessive usage of oxygen. Instructions have been given about the judicious use of remdesivir.
All treating doctors were told to allow patients video calls to relatives at home and boost their morale. “We tried this in our jumbo centres and it worked wonders. Patients start facing loneliness,” said Kakani.
The BMC has also allowed all doctors to contact members of the task force at a fixed time every day for line of treatment for complicated cases.
Dr Avinash Supe, who heads the death reduction committee for the state, said the death rate for Mumbai was 7.2 per cent in 2020 and the city reported 723 deaths in the third week of June.
“In September, the deaths never crossed 350 per week. Last week, the city had 489 deaths. We have a current death rate of 1.5 per cent and it had fallen to 0.33 per cent earlier. All our focus is to bring down the death rate of Mumbai in this Mission Save Lives. We have told everyone to have early admissions, proper oxygen supply to patients and optimal management of intensive care units,” Supe said.
Senior pulmonologist Dr Jalil Parkar said, “Enlightening citizens in regards to Covid-19 is always welcome. Both the domiciliary line of treatment and in a hospital environment if put in the right perspective would be an asset in these times of crisis and pandemic.”
On Tuesday, the city reported 62 deaths.
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