On 11th May 2020, Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (MGIMS), Sevagram sent a team of 45 doctors to lend a helping hand to the hospitals in Mumbai to provide care for the victims of COVID-19. A day earlier, Dr TP Lahane, Director DMER (Directorate of Medical Education and Research, Govt of Maharashtra) who had visited MGIMS during its Golden Jubilee celebration urged MGIMS to succour the COVID-19 ravaged Mumbai. The notification came under the Epidemic Diseases Act, the Disaster Management Act, and the Maharashtra Essential Service Maintenance Act. This is the first incidence where Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has sought help from outside Mumbai.
“A total of 45 final year residents from 13 different specialities in two buses and a single motive (to contribute in the ongoing pandemic) left for Mumbai soon after the notification was received. Our residents shall be serving in Seven Hills Hospital, Andheri for a period of one month. Seven Hills is a 800 bedded and the largest dedicated Covid-19 care facility in Mumbai”, informed Dr NM Gangane, Dean MGIMS. “Covid cases are coming thick and fast and to tackle them, we need to strengthen our team with more doctors. The arrival of the first batch of doctors from MGIMS, Sevagram is a big reassurance”, said Dr Balkrishna Adsul, In-Charge, Seven Hills Hospital.
“During this time when the entire world is staring at a war-like emergency and the fast growing COVID-19 cases are exhausting our medical fraternities like in Mumbai, more and more medical institutions should step forward to help the current situation”, said Dr BS Garg, Secretary, Kasturba Health Society, Sevagram. “MGIMS is happy to play its part”, he added.
“Our hospital has already been managing a large spectrum of illnesses ever since the outbreak broke. We painstakingly designed and built a 200-bed dedicated Covid block in our hospital that houses 30 ICU beds and 170 oxygen beds. We also understand that non-Covid illnesses in the community are as important to prevent, treat and monitor as the Covid ones. Now it would be a challenging task—with a third of our residents gone to serve a Mumbai hospital—to offer high-quality medical services to the patients who tap the portals of our hospital. We, nonetheless, are determined to improvise and shall ensure that we continue to meet the voiced—and unvoiced needs—of our rural communities with the same zeal, passion and commitment”, said Dr SP Kalantri, Medical Superintendent, Kasturba Hospital.
"We are happy to be able to render our service to those who are affected with COVID-19 at Mumbai. We do have certain apprehensions but the management of our institute is constantly ensuring our well-being", said Dr Milind Somkuwar, one of the team members.