Daijiworld Media Network Media - Mumbai (SS)

Mumbai, Apr 27: As the number of COVID-19 cases in the city keeps increasing, the civic body has decided to make public the information regarding the bed count and availability of beds in the hospitals treating COVID-19. In order to seek any kind of information regarding the same, you can just dial the helpline number 1916.

According to the BMC, through this helpline, people can get the names of the hospitals treating COVID-19 patients and can also gain information regarding the number of beds available. They can then select their preference accordingly. The BMC will then inform the hospital about the patient seeking admission.

While the number of available beds in hospitals is being updated regularly, the BMC is trying to make the updating of this information in real time. For this, they are trying to partner with private organizations such as BookMyShow to display the real-time updates on number of available beds. In the fear of the number of cases increasing, they are also trying to add more beds to the current infrastructure.

There is a group of in-house doctors who have been attending calls on the helpline continuously in order for people to report symptoms of COVID-19 and seek medical assistance. In case they do need medical examination, the doctors refer them the name of laboratories near their homes for a test. They also give tips on self-isolation.

The second option on the call helps callers seek an ambulance. Mahesh Narvekar, the disaster unit chief of the BMC said that the callers can select the fourth option after dialing 1916 for other civic services.