health
Mumbai: Masks made mandatory in all BMC hospitals from April 11 amid rise in Covid cases

Starting from April 11, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has directed that it is compulsory for employees, patients, and visitors at civic or private hospitals to wear three-ply or N95 masks. BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal has directed all hospitals to implement the directive with immediate effect. The directive has been issued in view of the current spike in Covid cases in the city.
Further, senior citizens have been advised to wear masks in public places and crowded spots. The advisory comes after the Union ministry of health has indicated the possibility of an increase in Covid cases in May.
IMA issued circular stating directives about physical distance
Meanwhile, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has issued a circular stating that people should avoid hugging, kissing and shaking hands and maintain at least a metre of physical distance. The IMA has further said that doctors should avoid prescribing antibiotics since these have no role in the treatment of Covid.
Chahal’s directives
“It is mandatory for all employees, patients, and visitors in municipal hospitals to wear masks. All municipal employees should also wear masks as a precautionary measure. Meanwhile, guidelines on home isolation will be re-issued. Moreover, all aspects of Covid preparedness, such as Covid testing, ward war rooms, availability of oxygen and medicines and Covid preparedness in private hospitals, were also reviewed,” Chahal said.
Chahal also stated that although it was not mandatory, those above 60 years of age should wear masks as a precautionary measure, in crowded places. “We have also given strict instructions that patients admitted for surgery at the hospital will have to undergo RT-PCR testing and if such a patient tests positive and the surgery is not an emergency, then it must be postponed.
BMC Executive Health Officer Dr Mangala Gomare said, “We have been urging senior citizens and people with comorbidities to wear masks, so as to avoid contracting infections. We have been directed to increase Covid testing and also check stocks of testing kits.”
Essential equipment need to stock up as safety measure
The central purchase department should review the availability of gloves, masks, PPE kits, as well as the stock of medicines and other medical equipment required by all the hospitals of BMC and commence the purchasing process, if required. It should be ensured that there will be no shortage of any medical requirement
As the number of Covid patients increases, the need for intensive care may also increase. It is therefore important for all the hospitals to examine and audit their medical oxygen plants to ensure that these are functioning well and there is a balance between the demand and supply of oxygen, at all times
All ward war rooms, which have played a vital role in patient management during previous waves of Covid, should be urgently reviewed to ensure that they are functional with all the necessary manpower and machinery to deal with any situation.
The health department should re-issue guidelines regarding home isolation of Covid-19 patients. The assistant commissioners of the concerned wards should also review medicine stocks and the availability of manpower in HBT clinics.
Pre-monsoon works like desilting, road repairs, etc., should be completed before the onset of the monsoon. Coordination officers should be appointed at the ward-office level for the organisation of ‘Matrushakti Mahila Melava’ by the department of women and child welfare.
The additional municipal commissioner (projects) and deputy commissioner (infrastructure) should regularly review pre-monsoon works, including the concretisation of roads. The additional municipal commissioner (city) should review the appointment of ‘swachhtadoots’ and the construction of new public toilets.
health
Tobacco is not just addiction but poison: Delhi Speaker Vijender Gupta leads walkathon on World No-Tobacco Day in Rohini

New Delhi, May 31: On the occasion of World No-Tobacco Day, Delhi’s Rohini area witnessed a strong show of public awareness and health advocacy through a walkathon organised to spread the message against tobacco consumption.
The event, themed ‘Walk for Life’, brought together medical professionals, civic leaders, and local residents in a collective stand against the harmful effects of tobacco.
Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta, who flagged off the walkathon, delivered a powerful message on the dangers of tobacco. “Tobacco is not just an addiction; it’s a poison,” he said, addressing the gathering. “It is a dangerous habit that ruins lives, and the only effective way to combat it is through sustained awareness and education,” he added.
Organised by the Indian Medical Association in collaboration with the Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre, the event saw enthusiastic participation from doctors, healthcare workers, and members of the public.
The walkathon aimed to raise awareness, especially among the youth, about the health risks associated with tobacco, including its direct link to life-threatening diseases like cancer.
“The younger generation often views smoking and tobacco use as fashionable, but we must help them understand the long-term consequences,” Gupta added, urging collective efforts to curb the rising trend of tobacco use among the youth.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Sudhir Rawal, Medical Director at the Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute, emphasised the medical impact: “Tobacco is one of the main avoidable causes of cancer. If you don’t use tobacco, you significantly reduce your risk of developing cancer, especially lung and mouth cancer.”
The event also featured health-themed activities, including group exercises and educational talks, to create a more engaging and impactful experience for participants.
As part of a broader initiative across the country, the Rohini walkathon served as a crucial reminder of the importance of quitting tobacco and promoting healthier, smoke-free lives.
health
COVID-19 Update: Death Toll Rises To 5 In Mumbai After Kalyan Man Passes Away; 66 New Cases Recorded In Maharashtra

Mumbai: The State of Maharashtra reported 66 new COVID-19 cases on May 27, with nearly half originating from Mumbai, recording 31 cases in past 24 hours. Other districts saw fewer cases, with Pune reporting 18, Thane at 7, Navi Mumbai at 4, Pimpri Chinchwad at 3, Nagpur at 2, and Sangli at 1. As of May 26, the total active cases in Maharashtra stood at 210, reflecting an addition of 154 new cases since May 19, 2025. Nationwide, India had 1,010 active cases, with Kerala leading at 430.
Reports from the Union Health Ministry indicate that current COVID-19 infections are mostly mild, with no significant severity or death rates. However, a 47-year-old woman from Kalyan tested positive posthumously, representing the fifth COVID-related death in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) within a week.
She was treated for typhoid but deteriorated rapidly, leading to her hospitalization where she died before her COVID-19 diagnosis. KDMC officials noted three other COVID patients, with one recovering and two receiving treatment. In response, KDMC has set up isolation wards and an RTPCR lab, assuring the public that most cases are mild and do not require alarm.
In light of rising COVID-19 cases noted in Singapore and Hong Kong, India has ramped up monitoring efforts. Experts attribute the recent surge to the JN.1 variant, part of the Omicron family. The Health Ministry has stated that they are carefully reviewing the situation to mitigate risks while remaining proactive in safeguarding public health.
Meanwhile, the state’s daily COVID-19 case count rose from 43 on Sunday to 69 on Monday, as reported by the state health department. Out of these cases, 37 were identified in Mumbai, 19 in Thane, and seven in Navi Mumbai, with Pune recording two cases and one case each in Pimpri Chinchwad, Kolhapur, Raigad, and Latur
The recent uptick in COVID-19 cases has been evident over the past few weeks, with May alone accounting for 269 of the 285 cases recorded since January. Additionally, four patients with COVID-19 have died since May 18, which included a 14-year-old girl with kidney issues, a 59-year-old cancer patient, a 70-year-old with heart complications, and a 21-year-old suffering from diabetes-related ketoacidosis.
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health
Late diagnoses, high costs driving blood and bone marrow cancer cases: Experts

New Delhi, May 28: Late diagnoses and high costs are driving cases of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) — an aggressive form of blood and bone marrow cancer, said health experts.
After the US and China, India reportedly had the highest number of cases of AML in 2021.
According to health experts, early screening, accurate diagnosis and timely initiation of treatment are extremely important to improve survival rates.
“We lose critical time because AML is detected late in our country and often masquerades as fatigue or infection. By the time the right tests are done, the disease has often progressed to a stage where treatment options are limited or less effective,” Dr. Ranjit Sahoo, D.M. (Medical Oncology) Professor (Additional) at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), told Media.
While acute leukaemia can be detected by a simple blood test, “the treatment of AML is carried out at tertiary centres and the cost of supportive treatment is high,” the expert said.
For many patients, the onset is silent, the symptoms of AML are vague, and the window for intervention is tragically narrow.
Many patients also delay treatment due to financial constraints or seek care in late stages when treatment is less effective.
“AML, while rare among all haematological malignancies, is the most feared one. It has an excellent chemotherapy combination for control of disease, including deep remission (control, not cure), but is fraught with complications, including life-threatening ones due to severe infections and bone marrow suppression,” said Dr. Abhay A. Bhave, a haematologist, from a Mumbai-based hospital.
Bhave noted that “AML can be a relapsing, relentless disease based on the genes that cause this disease”.
Traditional chemotherapy, the mainstay of AML treatment, has often been poorly tolerated, especially in older patients. However, the emergence of targeted therapies — which act on specific genetic mutations driving the disease — has dramatically improved remission rates, reduced toxicity, and enhanced quality of life for patients globally.
However, these are often expensive; and bone marrow transplantation is also not easy to obtain, the doctors said.
Dr. Punit L Jain, a leukaemia specialist at a Mumbai-based hospital stated that 60 per cent of AML patients arrive in advanced stages with infection and bleeding, impairing treatment methods.
The experts suggested integrating AML into the national cancer control strategy and expanding access to diagnostics may be necessary to boost awareness as well as treatment outcomes. They also called for including AML-targeted therapies in Ayushman Bharat and private insurance schemes to ease out-of-pocket expenditure for patients; and to support clinical research and trials.
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