India's Pioneer Media on TradeFairs

TFT Breaking: No, Jumbo Covid Facilities are not going to be shut in Mumbai

 

M Q Syed, TFT Editor

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has no plans to close all the Covid Care Jumbo Hospitals as reported by many of the main ‘Print Media’ and widely shared by people on Exhibition Industry Social Media Groups.

Despite the fact that the progression of patients has diminished at these COVID Care Centers, the new strain of COVID-19, detected in a few of the travelers who got back from the UK and the Middle East is delaying the decision. 

TFT spoke to a senior BMC official and found that all decisions related to Jumbo Hospitals in Mumbai are on standby and a review meeting is due in January to discuss the issue.

As of now there are four fully operational Jumbo COVID Facilities operational in Mumbai at BKC (Bandra) Byculla, NESCO Exhibition Center (Goregaon East), Mulund and Dahisar. The one at Mahalaxmi is just operating the ICU and Oxygenated Facilities.

TFT also spoke with Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani, who looks after the health department, Kakani informed, “We will review the situation in the first week of January and decide the future course of action as far as these COVID treatment facilities are concerned. They could be entirely shut or their operations scaled down post the review meeting.

“This is also worth mentioning that most of the Jumbo Facilities Contract with vendors are getting over by 31st January 2021, However, permanent facilities like at NESCO Exhibition Centre where a permanent 220 bedded ICU facility is built, and hailed as the biggest DCHC ICU in the country is contracted with one-year warranty, the warranty shall end up by July 2021.The facility at NESCO Exhibition Centre which can accommodate 2,040 patients has only 140-150 patients.”

While the permission to hold Exhibitions in Maharashtra in the strict SOP’s has been granted by the State Government. The last report by TFT on stringent conditions to organize fairs in the state is still the same.

Indian Exhibition Industry Association (IEIA) has affirmed to have moved towards the State Government for easing out the conditions post the report was published in TFT followed by other print media, the result, however, of the representation is awaited.