IT News
Mumbai, April 14
In view of an appeal by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, prominent doctors from Mumbai, who include infectious diseases specialists, have come forward to form a task force to guide doctors dealing with coronavirus cases, even as the number of active cases reached 2455 on Tuesday.
Maharashtra Housing Minister Jitendra Awhad, who came in contact with 19 policemen tested positive, was home quarantined. “I myself preferred to quarantine myself and remain at home for 14 days, he tweeted.
The task force of senior Mumbai doctors, will coordinate with doctors and paramedics in different hospitals dealing with COVID-19 cases through hotline and will guide them time to time. Maharashtra has 13 government and eight private laboratories in which 5500 tests can be carried out in a day. The Maharashtra has identified 30 government hospitals, dedicated to covid-19 treatment, making a total of 2,305 beds available across the state.
The doctors had a meeting with Thackeray by video conferencing on Monday during which improvement in measures to arrest the spread of coronavirus were discussed. The death rate in Maharashtra is 6 to 7 per cent and 80 per cent of the deceased had past history of kidney ailment, high blood pressure etc. Thackeray said that the aim of forming a task force is not only to stop the spread of the diseases but to also ensure that no patient succumbs.
The task force includes: Dr. Sanjay Oak, Vice Chancellor, Dr D Y Patil Vidyapeeth, Navi Mumbai (former Dean, KEM Hospital), Dr. Zaheer Udwadia (Pulmonologist), P.D. Hinduja Hospital, Dr. Santoshi Nagaonkar(Urologist & Robotic Surgeon), Lilavati Hospital, Dr. Kedar Toraskar (expert in critical care medicine), Wockhardt Hospital, Dr. Rahul Pandit(Senior Intensive Care Consultant) Fortis Hospital, Dr. N D Karnik (HOD, Department of Medicine), LTMG, Sion, Dr. Zaheer A Virani(Nephrologist), Prince Aly Khan Hospital, Mazgaon, Dr. Pravin Bangar (senior medical officer), KEM Hospital, Parel and Dr Om Srivastava(infectious diseases specialist),Jaslok hospital.
While Maharashtra Government has set up a COVID 19, cell at Mantralaya, its headquarter in South Mumbai, to with four senior IAS officers to deal with non-medical issues, the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee has formed a task force and other sub-committees. The task force will be under former CM and MLA Prithviraj Chavan and will have 18 other members with former MP Bhalchandra Mungekar as the Coordinator.
The task force comprises MP Rajiv Satav, Mumbai Congress president Eknath Gaikwad, former Pradesh President Manikrao Thakre, MPCC working president Basavraj Patil, Muzzafar Hussain, former minister Naseem Khan, former union minister Vilas Muttemwar and others.
