MVR Menon Blog
Dharavi, Mumbai the densely populated Asia’s largest slum area has moved out of Hot spot to Green Zone. The strategy and planning of the journey from Covid 19 Red to Green Zone is worth a study and can be replicated in similar containment zones elsewhere in the Country.
Yes, it had the advantage of the backing of a State Government which wants to prove a point, ably supported by the Assistant Municipal Commissioner Sri Kiran Dighavkr. Sri Dighavkar informed “we would tell those who are showing symptoms that if you go to institutional quarantine, there are doctors there to take care of you, free medical facilities, food and free testing. That prove to be a game changer. We realised that in Dharavi things could go south quickly. We acquired different schools, sports complexes, marriage halls etc for institutional quarantine.”
Some of the quarantine facilities made by the govt. were at Dharavi Municipal School, Rooparel College, Rajiv Gandhi Sports College, Manohar Joshi Vidyalaya, D’Silva High School & Mahim Nature Park along with hostels, lodges & other schools.
25K grocery kits,16L plus food packets were distributed so that people can stay home and social distancing is implemented.
A large team of warriors were roped in and effectively used in Dharavi by the authorities. The 4000 odd team put to compact this pandemic included BMC doctors, engineers, nurses, medical support staff, cleaners, and more than 1000 people from outside. The BMC took over private hospitals and Nursing Homes in and around Dharavi to provide Covid 19 medical assistance, some of these institutions are Life Care Hospital. Prabhat Nursing Home, Sai Hospital, Family Care Hospital, Ayush Hospital etc & critical patients and patients above 55 years of age were admitted to peripheral hospitals like Lokmanya Tilak Medical College Hospital and Sion Hospital.
The State Government of Kerala is promoting own house quarantine, and the Covid 19 cases are increasing there. States like Kerala, Gujarat, and Delhi should seriously consider studying the Dharavi success story in containing the spread of Covid 19 cases.
Yes, it is not yet over in Dharavi, but the Covid 19 bomb has been diffused to some extent. The containment shows positive improvements in an area where a million people are reported to stay with not so good sanitation in just 2.5 km. This is made possible through aggressive testing and screening of the inhabitants using the local fever clinics. That is a success story and the other State Governments should try to replicate it to contain spreading of Covid 19 in their State.
MVR Menon
9445333388
mvrmenon@gmail.com
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