Mumbai ICUs filling with critical patients from infra-challenged satellite towns

MUMBAI: In a grim reminder of the poor healthcare infrastructure in the satellite cities around Mumbai, doctors said seriously ill Covid patients from these areas are getting admitted in increasing numbers at the city's intensive care facilities.
"We are seeing more patients from greater Mumbai these days," said Suresh Kakani, BMC additional municipal commissioner.
The Covid map of Greater Mumbai has changed in the past two weeks, with cases from Mumbai registering a decrease, even as its surrounding cities have begun to show a significant increase.
While Mumbai used to make up 65% of the daily patient load in the state, its share has reduced to 25% while that of satellite cities has increased to 35% or more now.
"While the BMC has increased the number of beds in Mumbai and cases are more or less steady, we noticed that 30% of the ICU beds were vacant," said Kakani. These beds are now being made available to patients coming from outside Mumbai, he added.
Dr Santosh Kumar, a specialist from Kerala who has come to Mumbai as part of the Doctors Without Borders initiative, said a sizeable number of patients in the ICU at Seven Hills Hospital in Andheri are mainly from the far-flung suburbs or satellite towns.
"The number of positive cases from Mumbai is decreasing a bit. It came down to 1,500 from 2,000 (around the middle of June when the daily mortality was around 100 in Mumbai). But the increase in cases is mainly from the surrounding districts and suburban areas such as Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan, Panvel," he said.
"Health facilities in these places are not up to the level of Mumbai. So, patients with severe symptoms from these areas are pouring into Mumbai again," said Dr Kumar, adding the demand for ICU beds could climb across the state in the coming days.
The trend of satellite town patients coming to Mumbai is noticeable in private sector hospitals as well.
Dr Prince Surana, who owns hospitals in Sanpada and Chembur, said the number of patients has gone up. "We have noticed that patients are coming from Karjat as well," he said.