Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation braces to curb illnesses during rain

In order to treat patients with monsoon-related diseases, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)'s public health department has already started planning to tackle the illnesses and take precautions before the monsoon begins. The civic-run public health department has started training the medical staff and paramedics for emergency and monsoon-related diseases.

As per the officials, few beds in the majority of the civic-run hospitals have been reserved for monsoon-related disease across the city. "While the training to the staff was already started before the monsoon, there have been two meetings with the disaster management team as well. We have started spreading out awareness about the monsoon-related illness in public with the help of information, education, and communication (IEC) campaign. Logistic of diagnostics and medicines have been procured," said Dr Padmaja Keskar, executive health officer, BMC's public health department

"Mosquito abatement committee has been formed to curb monsoon-related illness. Meetings have been organized with other public authorities like disaster management, railway, PWD to work together," added, Dr Padmaja Keskar.

Steps are been taken to reduce the mosquito breeding spots. Ward-wise inspections of breeding spots are been carried out for a few months. The land-owning authorities across the wards have been informed about the mosquito breeding spots and have been sent notice to check on the breeding spots. "We had given a deadline of May 17 to the land-owning authorities on the breeding spot inspection. Next round of inspection on mosquito breeding spots will be started soon," added Dr Keskar.

Recently, the insecticide department of the BMC reported that they found five times more dengue mosquito breeding spots across the city during inspection than malaria mosquito this year within four months. Since January till April, the BMC has collected rupee five lakh in fine from 2,000 owners/tenants across the city after mosquito breeding spots were found.

Last year the epidemiology cell had informed the ward level medical officer of health were informed to conduct meeting with private practitioners on monsoon-related diseases and maintain a statistical record on a number of patients.

Preparation by public health department

• Training of paramedical staff, private practitioners for monsoon-related illness
• Beds in civic-run hospitals reserved for monsoon-related disease patients
• Meetings to work with other authorities like disaster management, railway, PWD during monsoon season
• Spreading awareness about precautions to be taken against illness with the help of campaigns
• Mosquito abatement committee has been formed to curb illness during the rain