With largest oxygen backup, Mumbai’s Kanjurmarg Covid jumbo centre ready for 3rd wave

The Kanjurmarg Covid jumbo centre has 2 medical oxygen tanks of 40 and 13 kilolitres each and 7 oxygen generation plants that will use PSA technology to produce 1,500 litres of oxygen per minute

With two medical oxygen tanks of 40 and 13 kilolitres each and seven oxygen generation plants that will use the pressure swing adsorption (PSA) technology to produce 1,500 litres of oxygen per minute, the jumbo Covid-19 centre at Kanjurmarg will have the largest oxygen back among such facilities in Mumbai.

Located near Kanjurmarg railway station, the jumbo Covid centre has a capacity of 1,692 beds, including 1,112 oxygen beds and 200 intensive care unit (ICU) beds. Mumbai civic body will activate the facility only if the need arises. (HT FILE PHOTO FOR REPRESENTATION)

Located near Kanjurmarg railway station, the jumbo centre has a capacity of 1,692 beds, including 1,112 oxygenated beds and 200 intensive care unit (ICU) beds. Mumbai civic body will activate the facility only if the need arises.

“We have kept the facility ready assuming the worst-case scenario. We will activate the beds in phases as and when the need arises,” said additional municipal commissioner Suresh Kakani.

The Kanjurmarg centre has been planned to cater to the large areas of eastern suburbs which had only one jumbo facility in Mulund till now. The facility has made special provisions for paediatric beds and a mother’s lounge for children who are feared to be more affected in the third wave.

Mumbai’s Covid-19 cases have been steady in the past few weeks, hovering between 400 and 500. Despite the low demand, the civic body has prepared three additional jumbo facilities in anticipation of the third wave. While the Kanjurmarg facility is fully ready, another facility has been kept available in Malad and the third one is coming up at Somaiya Ground in Sion.

“We have also finalised the agency that will take care of the manpower including doctors, nurses, ward boys etc. But we will issue the work order only when it is required,” said Kakani.

The existing jumbo facilities in the city in Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), Goregaon and Dahisar, among others, have liquid medical oxygen tanks of 13 and 11 kilolitres capacity.

“The 40 kilolitre tank at Kanjurmarg is the largest in the city,” said Dr Harish Pathak, who heads the jumbo centre. “Seven oxygen generation plants will be up in another two weeks. In case we have to activate the beds in an emergency, we have kept a small civic medical team of doctors and nurses as a backup to cater to the incoming patients,” he said.

At the moment, the biggest concern of the civic body is an anticipated post-Diwali spike. As the majority of lockdown restrictions have been lifted, markets and other shopping areas are crowded due to the upcoming festivities.

Members of the state’s Covid-19 task force anticipate that the third wave is likely to hit between December and January. Some predict that the number of cases will be fewer than what the city experienced in the second wave. But all this is likely to be true only if a newer, stubborn variant of the Sars-Cov-2 does not arise. Medical experts also point that it’s important to examine the number of reinfections and breakthrough infections to understand how they will contribute in the future spurts.

“Our biggest worry is people letting their guards down and not following Covid-appropriate behaviour,” said Kakani. “All of us should exercise caution to keep the cases under control,” he said.