Mumbai: KEM Hospital Struggles With Overcrowding & Staff Shortages Amid Soaring Patient Load

Mumbai: KEM Hospital is currently overwhelmed by a surge in patient footfall, with around 6,000 outpatients and nearly 180 admissions daily. This relentless influx has strained the hospital’s systems and infrastructure. Patients and their families frequently report confusion navigating departments, long waiting lines, and unmanned helpdesks, even those equipped with computers, microphones, and other tools remain unattended, offering little assistance.

The situation has worsened due to severe staff shortages, particularly among Class IV employees, including ward boys. Protests recently erupted, led by the Municipal Mazdoor Union, after the contracts of 421 outsourced workers expired on August 15. Delays in hiring replacements have burdened the existing staff, many of whom are now working double shifts, leading to fatigue and compromised patient care.

According to Pradeep Narkar, Joint General Secretary of the Municipal Mazdoor Union, only 1,100 of the 1,991 sanctioned Class IV posts are currently filled, reflecting a 44 per cent vacancy rate. Employees have staged demonstrations outside the dean’s office, demanding the urgent recruitment of new contract workers.

The hospital administration has assured that a new batch of staff will be appointed within a week and urged the BMC to expedite recruitment, emphasising the critical need to strengthen public healthcare staffing.

KEM Hospital’s ongoing challenges, ranging from ageing infrastructure and delays in diagnostics to chronic overcrowding, highlight the broader issues affecting Mumbai’s civic-run hospitals. Healthcare experts and patient rights advocates have called for immediate investments to expand bed capacity, repair dilapidated buildings, upgrade diagnostic facilities, and address human resource gaps.

For patients like Shubhangi Khot and many others, navigating the hospital’s congested corridors is a daily struggle. Their stories reinforce the urgent call for the BMC and hospital administration to act swiftly, expanding infrastructure, upgrading services, and ensuring adequate staffing, to maintain the hospital’s critical role in Mumbai’s public healthcare system.

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