The Pune Municipal Corporation has decided to extend its current agreements for the treatment of Covid-19 patients referred by the civil administration with only four of the 11 private city hospitals working closely with the civic body. The PMC had a six-month agreement with all 11 hospitals at the onset of the epidemic.

The decline in active Covid-19 cases has led to a decrease in demand for hospital beds.

Sources said that if the demands for oxygen & beds increase, the agreement with the remaining private hospitals will be extended as per the requirement.

After the Covid-19 outbreak in the city, the PMC started treating the infected residents in civil hospitals, Covid care centers in the city, and Sassoon Hospital. The PMC had marked a six-month contract with 11 private emergency clinics that hold beds for the therapy of Covid-19 patients referred and sent by the municipal body and give therapy at an endorsed expense for each of the clinical assistances.

Municipal Commissioner Vikram Kumar said that the agreement with 11 private hospitals, which expired in this month, had a clause to extend the agreement based on mutual understanding between the hospital and the PMC.

Kumar said that the Covid-19 epidemic has not subsided yet. Currently, isolation beds are not in great demand, but oxygen beds are required. The PMC will extend agreements with some private hospitals for three months. The agreement will be extended to a total of 395 oxygen beds and 100 ICU beds at Symbiosis University Hospital, Bharti Hospital, Dinanath Mangeshkar Hospital, and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Hospital.

PMC was relying more on private hospitals to treat critical patients due to a lack of oxygen in civilian government hospitals and their ICU facilities. To augment its treatment facilities, the PMC had set up an 800-bed jumbo facility in the College of Engineering Pune campus to create a new hospital with 600 oxygen beds and 200 ICU beds. Naidu Hospital as of now has 250 oxygen beds and 37 ICU beds, and Dalvi hospital has 150 oxygen beds and 17 ICU beds. The PMC also plans to increase the number of oxygen beds and ICU beds in government hospitals in the city.