Civic hospitals ‘ready’ to tackle monsoon ailments

Mumbai: The civic-run hospitals in Mumbai have claimed that they are ready to combat an outbreak of monsoon-related ailments. While around 2,800 beds have been set-up in 19 civic hospitals in the city, 500 doctors, nurses and 3,000 paramedical staff have been trained to tackle emergencies and monsoon-related illnesses.

“The special Out Patient Department (OPD) are equipped to provide treatment for monsoon-related ailments,” said a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) health official. The BMC will also set up 100 health camps across the city as last year cases of jaundice, gastroenteritis, dengue, malaria, leptospirosis were reported in the most of civic-run hospitals. Fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and body pain are the symptoms of water-borne diseases, which flourish during the rainy season. In severe cases, it may also affect the liver and kidneys if the patient doesn't receive treatment on time.

Dr Mini Khetrapal, in-charge of BMC's epidemiology department said, “All the civic-run hospitals and 133 health posts in the city are ready to combat the monsoon-related ailments. We have trained all our staff to deal with them.”  

As mosquitoes breed during the monsoon season, cases of malaria and dengue are usually on rising. While wading through contaminated water, people contract the Leptospirosis-bacterial disease. The infection spreads when the cattle's urine or excreta gets mixed with water during monsoon. There are several other ways through which people contract Leptospirosis.