BMC promises free treatment to Govindas…….Sujit Mahamulkar
Injured Govindas can breathe a sigh of relief as the municipal corporation has decided to open temporary special wards to treat them in nine hospitals. For the first time, this treatment will be given free of cost to patients in all civic hospitals. This was proposed by the standing committee chairman Rahul Shewale and the civic administration agreed to the demand.
Janmashtami this year, falls on September 1 and the following day Gokulashtami festivities take place.
Dahi handi, a clay pot filled with buttermilk, is positioned at a height and the Govinda at the top of the human pyramid tries to break it.
These wards set up in major civic hospitals and peripheral hospitals such as KEM (Parel), Tilak hospital (Sion) and Nair hospital (Mumbai Central) in the island city, Bhagwati (Borivli), RN Cooper (Vile Parle) and Bandra Bhabha hospital in the western suburbs and Rajawadi (Ghatkopar), MT Agarwal Hospital and Shatabdi (Govandi) in the eastern suburbs, will attend to Govindas in their special wards.
Maximum number of injuries are reported from Central Mumbai.
Additional Municipal Commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar said they will organize for additional doctors that day in these special wards.
“We have instructed doctors to take injured Govindas on priority and that they should be available in the OPD,” she said.
Every Gokulashtami, the city sees several casualties, particularly children, who climb the human pyramid.
“There are several cases of injuries in the eye, head and serious cases such as fracture of the limbs,” said an official from the hospital.