in the last part of the series
Nagpur: Despite being developed as a smart city and availability of technology which could have helped a lot during the pandemic, Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and special purpose vehicles – Nagpur Smart and Sustainable City Development Corporation Limited (NSSSCDCL) – has largely failed in disease management and Vaccination in smart ways.
NMC failed miserably to launch a single smart system during the first wave. Making amends, it brought some smart solutions in the second wave, while some are in the pipeline.
After citizens struggled to find beds, especially during the peak of the first wave in August and September last year and early days of the peak of the second wave in March this year, municipal commissioner Radhakrishnan B and NSSCDCL CEO Bhuvneshwari S and his team developed a portal https://nsscdcl.org/covidbeds to provide real-time information on bed availability. In April, the portal came as a big relief.
Admitting that the NMC did not use smart interventions in Covid management in the first wave, Radhakrishnan told TOI that the portal has proved beneficial not only for the patients of the district but also for other parts of Vidarbha. “It is going to be of great benefit in the anticipated third wave,” he said.
NMC failed to ensure admission to COVID hospitals only through this portal and NMC control room. According to NMC officials, a large number of patients got beds through the system. “But it could not be made mandatory as it was causing inconvenience in emergency cases while some citizens got direct admission through good liaison with hospitals or doctors etc,” he said.
In March, the civic chief proposed an initiative to identify positive patients circulating in public through facial recognition from images captured by 3,700 CCTVs installed in different parts of the city.
Radhakrishnan said the private agency concerned cannot start the project, adding that facial recognition would go a long way in monitoring home isolation. “Still, we are working on the project,” he said.
On Pediatric Covid Hospital, the civic chief said that it will start soon. “The plan is to allow parents to watch pediatric patients live from an arena once or twice a day in the hospital or from their home or workplace,” he said.
NMC additional municipal commissioner Ram Joshi, along with disaster risk administration expert Amit Tandon, and public health expert, Dr Shailja Gaikwad from UNICEF and RedR, have made available an online link through which any organization or housing society can conduct COVID-19 tests. can apply for. in their area. The same system was introduced for immunization of students going abroad for studies.
According to the civic chief, a similar system is in the pipeline for 100% immunization of citizens over 45 and people from vulnerable groups.
Prashant Ugamuge, Managing Director, Vidarbha Infotech Pvt Ltd suggested that proper data of infection sources be maintained. “Then, tracking and isolating patients and contacts will be easier to monitor and keep cases low. Similarly, we can keep an eye on areas with high cases,” he said.
The lack of oxygen was a major problem during the peak of the second wave. “A portal can be launched in which real-time availability of oxygen concentrations or jumbo cylinders or those with related systems can be displayed. The same can be done in the administration of drugs and injections,” Ugemuge said.
Activist Narayan Ahuja pointed to the failure of the NMC to deliver the test results by mail or message or on the portal. “People are forced to visit the center for reports which is not only inconvenient but also creates a risk of spreading. Technology could help in tracking the contacts and ensuring they were tested but nothing was done. It can also be used in ambulance management,” he said and added that the system should be introduced to display real-time availability of the vaccine at all centres.
Progress Report
Portal https://nsscdcl.org/covidbeds launched to provide real time information on bed availability
Plans to identify positive patients circulating in public through facial recognition from images captured by 3,700 CCTV cameras in the city failed
Pediatric Kovid Hospital will be operational soon. Planning to allow parents to watch pediatric patients live from an arena or online
– Online link is available for organizations or housing societies wishing to apply for COVID-19 test in their locality
Uniform system introduced for immunization of students going abroad
Systems in the pipeline to ensure 100% immunization of citizens and vulnerable groups over 45
.