Flooded with calls for help, Pune Municipal Corporation struggles to provide beds for Covid patients

With over 15,000 active cases in the city as on March 17, the civic body has been getting frantic calls seeking beds for patients with the infection.

3 min readPuneMar 18, 2021 07:58 PM IST

Mumbai lockdown, Mumbai covid news, mumbai coronavirus cases, mumbai covid hospital beds

BMC data shows that of 7,364 beds in public and private dedicated Covid hospitals, 1,941 are vacant, and of 5,378 beds in dedicated Covid health centres, 1,230 are vacant. (Picture for representation)

The Pune civic administration is struggling to provide beds to Covid-19 patients as the number of beds in government hospitals is limited and it no longer has a tie-up with private hospitals.

With over 15,000 active cases in the city as on March 17, the civic body has been getting frantic calls seeking beds for patients with the infection. “There are many such calls… and we have been able to make arrangements for around 150 critical patients, while turning down other requests based on the severity of the patient’s condition,” said a civic health officer.

The PMC’s helpline facility has been getting queries throughout the day. “There are only a few government hospitals with ICU and oxygen facilities, which are for critical patients. The patients were first referred to the dedicated Covid hospital in Baner but it had no available beds. They are then referred to Naidu and Sassoon General Hospitals,” he said.

“The PMC had earlier signed an agreement with private hospitals and reserved 20 per cent beds for patients referred by the civic body, for which the treatment expenses were incurred by the PMC. Now, the agreement with private hospitals is over and the civic body is unable to refer patients to private hospitals,” said the officer, adding that those who can afford to get treated at private hospitals are directly reaching out to the respective hospitals.

Assistant Medical Officer Manisha Naik said the shortage of beds is mainly due to patients demanding admission in select big private hospitals of the city which are filled to capacity. “We have asked private hospitals to slowly increase the bed capacity for treatment of Covid-19 patients,” she said.

However, the situation is likely to change after the jumbo hospital restarts its operations. “There will be availability of additional ICU and oxygen beds to treat the critical patients once the jumbo hospital restarts,” said Naik.

Assistant Medical Officer Anjali Sabane said the PMC has recently extended its agreement with Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital for three months to make available 100 oxygen beds and 15 beds with ventilators for treatment of critical patients referred by the civic body. “There is no need to extend the agreement with more private hospitals as all hospitals are now treating Covid-19 patients. The agreements were signed during the beginning of the pandemic as there were no dedicated beds for treatment of Covid-19 patients in private hospitals then,” she said.

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The PMC has also been running Covid Care Centres (CCCs) in Khedkar hospital in Bopodi and Dalvi hospital in Shivajinagar and will set up four more CCCs on March 20.

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The 800-bed jumbo hospital started functioning in August end, but patient admissions were stopped on January 15 after the number of active cases dropped in the city. The contract for the hospital ended on February 6 and is now being renewed to restart the hospital.

According to PMC, there are a total of 3,657 beds available for treatment of Covid-19 patients in the city, including 833 in government hospitals and 2,824 in private hospitals. These also include 309 ICU beds with ventilators, 236 ICU beds without ventilators, 2,014 beds with oxygen and 1,098 beds without oxygen.

Ajay Jadhav

Ajay Jadhav is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, Pune. With over 22 years of experience in the industry, he is a highly specialized journalist whose work focuses on the intersection of urban infrastructure, governance, and sustainability. Professional Background Role: As Assistant Editor, he plays a key role in the editorial direction of the Pune bureau, specializing in urban policy and its direct impact on citizens. Education: He holds a Master’s degree in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a PG Diploma in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). He also studied at the prestigious Fergusson College. Impactful Reporting: He is credited with research-based articles on conservancy staff (waste workers) that influenced national policy for better working conditions. He is also known for exposing the contrast between high-end infrastructure (like helipads for leaders) and the lack of basic amenities like schools in their home districts. Personal Interests: An avid trekker and sports enthusiast, his personal interest in the outdoors often informs his reporting on environmental protection and sustainable development. Recent Notable Articles (December 2025) His reporting in late 2025 has been dominated by the upcoming January 2026 Civic Polls in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, and the city's infrastructure boom: 1. Political Analysis (Civic Elections 2026) "Not friendly but a bitter fight lies ahead between BJP and NCP for PMC, PCMC" (Dec 22, 2025): A detailed look at the intense rivalry between the Mahayuti partners as they prepare for the January 15 municipal elections. "Pune civic polls: Big blow to NCP, NCP(SP) as leaders switch to BJP" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on high-profile poaching and party-hopping ahead of the elections. "Ajit Pawar's NCP continues domination in Pune, wins 10 of 17 local bodies" (Dec 21, 2025): Analyzing the results of the local self-government body elections as a precursor to the main civic polls. 2. Infrastructure & Urban Development "Looking Ahead at 2026: Pune to see inauguration of much-awaited Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar metro route" (Dec 22, 2025): An "outlook" piece on the critical Metro Line 3 project expected to finish by March 2026. "Building Pune: PMC to construct double-decker bridge over Mula-Mutha River" (Dec 18, 2025): Detailing a major project aimed at easing traffic between Hadapsar and Kharadi. "Condition of highway from Pune to Kolhapur to improve in a year: Gadkari" (Dec 4, 2025): Reporting on the Union Minister’s assurances regarding one of the state's most critical transport corridors. 3. Civic Governance & Environment "Install sensors, LED indicators at construction sites within 15 days: PMC to builders" (Dec 16, 2025): A follow-up to the "Breathless Pune" series, reporting on new mandates for builders to monitor air quality in real-time. "Errors in electoral rolls: PMC corrects data of 92,466 voters" (Dec 16, 2025): Tracking the administrative efforts to clean up the voter lists before the 2026 elections. Signature Style Ajay Jadhav is known for accountability journalism. His work often bridges the gap between high-level policy and the "ground zero" reality of Pune's residents. He is particularly focused on Sustainable Development, ensuring that as Pune grows into a "Bharat Mandapam" style destination (referring to his report on the Lohegaon project), its environmental and social safeguards remain intact. X (Twitter): @ajay_khape ... Read More

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