Mumbai hospitals to convert five-star hotels into COVID isolation centres, details here

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New Delhi: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday (April 15) announced that now the Mumbai hospitals will collaborate with five-star hotels to treat COVID-19 patients with milder infection. 

The administration also added that two of the hotels will start functioning  from today as extensions of private hospitals.

This initiative will add over 250 more COVID beds, including 40 ICU beds, in Jaslok Hospital as well. The citizens will be able to book these facilities online from the bmc dashboard by Saturday morning.

Here are the highlights of the order:

1) MCGM and private hospitals will jointly look for close by 4-5 star hotels. 

2) These linked hotels should have approx 20 rooms for the COVID-19 patients. 

3) Hotel and hospital should work hand in hand. 

4) Patients who do not need an emergency will be kept there after a mandatory physician approval.

5) Hospitals will provide round the clock facilities to the hotel like nursing, online consultation, medicines, biomedical waste management and ambulances.

6) Inclusive taxes and meals, hotel can charge Rs 4000. Amount will be paid by the hospital to the hotel. Medical expenses like doctors fees will be under extra charges.

7) For twin sharing rooms the hotel can charge Rs 6000.

8) Walk-ins can be welcomed by the hotels like patients with no symptoms but the hospital has to approve.

This order by the authorities comes a day after Mumbai  recorded 9,931 new cases and 54 deaths. Currently, Mumbai and other cities in Maharashtra face a massive number of COVID-19 cases.