In the concluding part of the series on Smart City, TOI checks whether Nagpur Municipal Corporation came up with innovative solutions for Covid-19 management and what are its plans for the projected third waveNAGPUR: Despite being chosen to be developed as a Smart City and availability of technology that could have greatly helped during the pandemic, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and special purpose vehicle — Nagpur Smart and Sustainable City Development Corporation Limited (NSSCDCL) — have largely failed in disease management and vaccination through smart ways.
The NMC miserably failed to launch even a single smart system during the first wave.
Making amends, it came up with a few smart solutions in the second wave while some are in the pipeline.
After citizens struggled to find beds, especially during the peak of first wave in August and September last year and initial days of peak of second wave in March this year, municipal commissioner Radhakrishnan B and CEO of NSSCDCL Bhuvaneshwari S and their team developed a portal https://nsscdcl.org/covidbeds to provide real-time information on bed availability.
The portal came as a major relief in April.
Admitting that NMC didn’t use smart interventions in Covid management in the first wave, Radhakrishnan told TOI that the portal proved beneficial for not only patients of the district but also other parts of Vidarbha.
“It is going to benefit a lot in the projected third wave,” he said.
The NMC fell short in ensuring admissions in Covid hospitals only through this portal and NMC Control Room.
As per NMC officials, a large number of patients got beds through the system.
“But it couldn’t be made mandatory as it was causing inconvenience in emergency cases while some citizens gt direct admissions through good contacts with hospitals or doctors etc,” they said.
In March, the civic chief proposed an initiative to identify positive patients roaming in public through facial recognition from images taken by 3,700 CCTVs installed in different parts of the city.
The private agency concerned couldn’t launch the project, said Radhakrishnan adding that facial recognition would have helped a lot in monitoring home isolation.
“Still, we are working on this project,” he said.
On the paediatric Covid hospital, the civic chief said it will start soon.
“Plan is to allow parents to see paediatric patients live from an arena at the hospital or online from their home or workplace once or twice in a day,” he said.
NMC additional municipal commissioner Ram Joshi, in association with disaster risk governance specialist, Amit Tandon, and public health expert, Dr Shailaja Gaikwad from Unicef and RedR, have made available online link through which any organization or housing society can apply for Covid-19 tests at their locality.
The same system was introduced for vaccination of students going abroad for studies.
According to civic chief, similar systems are in the pipeline for 100% vaccination of 45-plus citizens and those in vulnerable groups.
Managing director of Vidarbha Infotech Private Ltd Prashant Ugemuge suggested proper data of infection sources be maintained.
“Then, it will be easy to monitor and keep cases low by tracking and isolating patients and contacts.
Similarly, we can keep track on localities with high cases,” he said.
Shortage of oxygen was a big issue during peak of second wave.
“A portal can be launched in which those having oxygen concentrators or jumbo cylinders or related systems can display real-time availability.
The same can be done in management of medicines and injections,” said Ugemuge.
Activist Narayan Ahuja pointed to NMC failure in giving test results on mail or message or portal.
“People are forced to visit the centre for report which is not only inconvenient but also creates risk of spread.
Technology can help track contacts and ensure their testing but nothing was done.
It can be also used in ambulances management,” he said and added that system should be introduced to display real-time availability of vaccine at all centres.
PROGRESS REPORT- Portal https://nsscdcl.org/covidbeds launched to provide real-time information on bed availability – Plan to identify positive patients roaming in public through facial recognition from images captured by 3,700 CCTVs cameras in city failed to take off – Paediatric Covid hospital to be operational soon.
Plan to allow parents to see paediatric patients live from an arena or online – Online link available for organizations or housing societies wanting to apply for Covid-19 tests at their locality – Same system introduced for vaccination of students going abroad – Systems in pipeline to ensure 100% vaccination of 45-plus citizens and those in vulnerable group