BMC formulates 'Save Lives Strategy' to reduce COVID-19 mortality in Mumbai's hospitals

On the 100th day of the lockdown, the COVID-19 tally in Mumbai increased to 76,294 on Monday with the addition of 1,247 new cases, while the death toll rose to 4,461 after 92 more patients succumbed to the infection, the city's civic body said. According to sources, BMC Chief Iqbal Singh Chahal has made a “Save Lives Strategy” to reduce COVID mortality in the hospitals.

Full supportive care

The strategy will come into effect from Tuesday. Sources said that the civic body chief instructed Team BMC with some pointers which have to be followed mandatorily. They are: 

• Total accountability and adoption of every case in moderate-severe and critical category 
• A mandatory meeting twice a day on a video conference on every case of seniors and juniors 
• Total teamwork of doctors nurses and all health care workers 
• Full supportive care 
• Protocol and checkboxes on every paper for adherence so nothing is missed 
• A lot of deaths occur as patients remove oxygen to go to toilet strain and collapse especially between 1 am to 5 am so every bed should have a bedpan and 4 beds have a commode (also cardboard bedpans can be used ) and servants must cooperate 
• Ensure a supply of medicines like antivirals, steroid and plasma and make sure they are used whenever required
• Zero delay time ticker and video surveillance on every case by head of unit and head of the institution 
• Detailed death audit of every death and every video to be forensically audited

Struggling to contain COVID-19 fatalities, the Maharashtra government has come up with the convalescent plasma therapy-cum-trial project for treatment of critical patients with a state medical education official calling it the largest initiative of its kind in the world.

READ | 'Mission Accomplished': NCW Chief Rekha Sharma thanks PM Modi for ban on TikTok & others

The project was formally launched on Monday by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. Convalescent plasma therapy, also called passive antibody therapy, seeks to obtain plasma from the blood of people who have recovered from the coronavirus infection to inject into patients undergoing treatment.

READ | Gas leak in pharma company in Vizag, casualties reported; Andhra CM takes cognisance 

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government on Monday said the lockdown in the state is being extended till July 31. The current lockdown was to end on June 30. CM Uddhav Thackeray had on Sunday ruled out lifting the lockdown from that date.

READ | Chinese mouthpiece stooge hurls low jibe at India over 59-app-ban; gets trolled by netizen

READ | Priyanka Vadra slams BSP chief Mayawati for supporting Centre on LAC standoff

(with PTI inputs)