Mumbai, May 29 (IANS). After the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Ebola outbreak in parts of Africa (notably the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda) a public health emergency, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has proactively put Mumbai’s healthcare system on high alert.
Although health officials have been insisting that there is no outbreak or community transmission of Ebola in India as of now, the BMC has initiated strict precautionary and surveillance measures to prevent any possible entry or spread of the virus.
BMC has designated Kasturba Hospital as the primary isolation facility for any suspected case of viral hemorrhagic fever. Kasturba serves as Mumbai’s exclusive infectious disease center and is equipped to handle strict isolation protocols.
A 10-bed special isolation ward has been set up at Kasturba Hospital, the city’s primary infectious disease centre.
After Kasturba Hospital, a special isolation ward with 8 beds has also been set up at Cama Hospital in Mumbai.
Mumbai’s Deputy Mayor, Sanjay Ghadi said that the BMC is fully prepared and there is no need for the public to panic. Beds have been arranged at Kasturba Hospital in Mumbai, and similar arrangements will be made in other hospitals across the city in the near future.
The BMC administration has issued instructions to major municipal medical colleges to prepare their teams and establish readiness protocols.
The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors has issued a formal advisory outlining standard infection prevention and control practices for frontline medical staff.
–IANS
DKM/ABM
