Malegaon Stares at Human Disaster as Coronavirus Cases Pile And Healthcare Facilities Remain Debilitated, Doctor Says 'Worst Yet to Come'

Malegaon, May 3: As the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases continue to surge across the country, Malegaon - a small town in Maharashtra's Nashik district and approx 300 km from Mumbai - finds itself in the red zone with over 300 reported cases due to the pandemic. The outbreak and subsequent lockdown, which starts its third phase from May 4, have come as a double-whammy for residents of Malegaon who have been deprived of adequate healthcare facilities for decades. The city now has three dedicated hospitals for coronavirus patients - Jeevan Hospital, Faran Hospital and Mohammadia Tibbia College & Assayer Hospital. Malegaon City in Nashik District of Maharashtra Among Top Five COVID-19 Hotspots.

All three hospitals are nearly full and reports of positive cases continue to come every day, and although few patients have recovered and have been discharged, panic and fear continue to persist in Malegaon. "There is complete mismanagement and lack of coordination among authorities. Some patients have been kept for days without treatment and testing," said Shahid Fine, a local who has been helping those who contracted coronavirus as well as suspected patients at government facilities. Amid NRC Fears, This 'Register of Deaths' Compiled by A Common Man Helps Malegaon Residents Obtain Old Documents.

Shahid Fine, with help from his friends, has buried at least 12 bodies of people who succumbed to coronavirus or were suspected cases. "There is a recklessness from the municipal authorities, especially in Jeevan Hospital. Patients and their close contacts are kept in the same room. Bodies are kept inside the hospitals for hours and no one is there to ferry them out. We, volunteers, are risking our lives and transporting bodies and in some cases performed their last rites as well," he said.

Speaking of quarantine centre at Mohammadia Tibbia College & Assayer Hospital, Shahid Fine said that the basic needs of suspected patients and their close contacts are not being taken care of. "Proper food is not provided. NGOs are bringing water cans and not the authorities. Some patients even attempted to escape from the facilities and there was no one to stop them. I have videos. I convinced them to stay at the quarantine facility so that the virus doesn't spread," he added.

Jeevan Hospital has close to 35 beds and all are occupied. The maximum number of COVID-19 deaths has been reported here. As cases continue to rise, the management of Mohammadia Tibbia College & Assayer Hospital offered their campus to be converted into quarantine and treatment facility. The boys' hostel inside the college campus has 180 beds and suspected patients and close contacts of positive patients are being kept here.

Assayer Hospital has been converted into a treatment facility but "there is no dedicated and expert staff at the hospital. The medical staff of the hospital is doing their best but given the number of patients, more hands are needed," Shahid Fine said. A few days ago, Faran Hospital was converted into a treatment centre and thankfully things are much better there. "We have 36 patients. Of them, 20 are positive and reports of others are awaited," Dr Parvez Faizee, in-charge of Faran Hospital, told LatestLY.

'You Don't Come Alive Out of Jeevan Hospital'

Malegaon has so far reported 12 deaths. Social media groups in the city are flooded with posts which suggest most fatalities were reported at Jeevan Hospital. The viral posts have created a fear among residents who now believe that admitting in Jeevan Hospital is like embracing death. Dr Faisal Suleman, who was in-charge of the hospital for the past few weeks and has handed over charge to another team as per protocol, explained why some deaths have occurred.

"Jeevan Hospital is dedicated COVID care hospital with ICU, while the other two hospitals are COVID care centres. Terminally ill patients are referred to Jeevan Hospital and they have a very rare chance to survive because of the virus. On the other hand, in COVID care centres like one in Mohammadia Tibbia College & Assayer Hospital, stable and asymptotic patients are being treated. They have a chance to fight," Dr Faisal Suleman explained.

He added that 99 percent of cases at Jeevan Hospital are of people of above 60 years of age. "Around 95 coronavirus patients who died had diabetes or hypertension or heart-related ailments. Another reason behind deaths is patients are brought at the hospital when they turn extremely critical. Since there is no definite treatment for coronavirus, such patients die within an hour," he said. He asked people to visit the government facility instead of approaching a general physician when they contract flu or experience fever.

Dr Parvez Faizee, who was earlier in-charge of Jeevan Hospital and is now handling cases at Faran Hospital, said that deaths have happened because nobody knew what to do in the start. "Initially when patients were brought at Jeevan Hospital, the team had no clue how to treat them. Since there's no proper treatment for coronavirus, it took time to understand how to proceed. Besides, patients were critically ill and we did not have much time to think," he said.

Why Has a Government-Run Civil Hospital With 200 Beds Been Made Non-COVID Facility?

Malegaon has a civil hospital where around 200 patients can be admitted. When the outbreak happened, authorities declared the hospital as COVID-19 facility. When the cases and deaths kept rising, the hospital was evacuated and patients were transferred to Jeevan Hospital or Mohammadia Tibbia College & Assayer Hospital. Many have sought to know why a hospital which has a capacity of 200 patients is not treating coronavirus patients.

LatestLY tried to contact civil hospital in-charge Dr Mahale, city health officer Sapna Thakur and special officer Pankaj Ashiya but they did not respond to repeated calls and messages. Since the civil hospital comes under the Malegaon Municipal Corporation, we spoke to Mayor Tahira Shaikh who said that the decision was taken in view of the rising deaths not related to coronavirus.

Following the announcement of the lockdown, all private hospitals and clinics were shut in Malegaon. These hospitals and clinics remained shut for over three weeks. During this period, many patients did not receive their routine or emergency treatment. Malegaon has reported over 500 non-COVID deaths in April month alone. An order by the former commissioner of the civic body had also asked private doctors not to treat patients suffering from flu and fever.

"Since private hospitals were shut, many patients who had other diseases or suffered an accident and pregnant women had to struggle to get treatment. That's why we decided to make the civil hospital a non-COVID facility where non-COVID patients can get treatment," Tahira Shaikh said. Her statements have convinced few and most remain worried.

Is Lockdown Being Enforced?

According to Malegaon's Additional Superintendent of Police Sandip Ghughe, lockdown is completely followed in the city. "We have enforced the lockdown and people are following the restrictions. No large gathering has taken place since the outbreak. All mosques are shut and during Ramzan, too, people are praying at home," he emphasised. "There was an incident when locals clashed with the police but the situation was brought under control within minutes," he added.

Though the police department has maintained that lockdown is being followed, there are videos of crowded markets in the heart of the city. Locals say police is not acting swiftly on violators as many cops have also contracted the virus while performing their duties. According to ASP Ghuge, 57 policemen have been tested positive for coronavirus in Malegaon. Containment zones are also not fully sealed, locals alleged. There are 56 containment zones in the city.

'The Worst is Yet to Come'

According to Shahid Fine, the municipal corporation and local police are responsible for the mess. "The local administration has failed in contact tracing of positive cases. Cops are showing laxity in enforcing the lockdown. Standard protocols for transporting positive cases and dead bodies are not being followed. All this has contributed to a sharp rise in cases," he alleged.

AIMIM legislator from Malegaon, Mufti Mohammed Ismail holds similar views. "The situation is horrible. We have been reaching out to the state government and the municipal officers but no respite. Those ruling the corporation have miserably failed. Hospitals, where coronavirus patients are being treated, are not fully equipped and testing is not done in sufficient numbers. Since the corporation failed to provide proper food to those quarantined, we had to do that," he told LatestLY, seeking serious intervention from the Uddhav Thackeray government to contain the outbreak. He alleged that some non-Muslim doctors refused to treat Muslim patients who were not affected by coronavirus.

Mayor and Congress leader Tahira Shaikh, however, feels that the local administration is doing its best. "All densely-populated areas are being sanitised and hand sanitizers have been distributed. There was an incident when stale food was sent to the quarantine centre. We have cancelled the contract of the provider," she said. "In order to help non-COVID patients, we have also launched 11 mobile ambulances that equipped with medicines and necessary kits," she added.

According to Dr Faisal Suleman, the current situation is just the tip of the iceberg. "Since Malegaon is densely populated and houses are built close to each other, social distancing is near to impossible. Both the local administration and people are at fault. Contact tracing is not done properly and violation of lockdown continues. In some cases, swab of suspected patients was not taken when they died. Test reports are also taking time. If this persists, there will be a sharp rise in the number of cases as well as deaths. I believe the worst is yet to come," he said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 04, 2020 01:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).