Mumbai: Prince Aly Khan Hospital stops admissions after audit finds main building unsafe

The Prince Aly Khan Hospital at Mazgaon, a part of the Aga Khan Health Services, India, has halted in-patient admissions and suspended surgical operations after an independent structural audit of the main building completed at the directive of the BMC.

The audit indicated that despite regular and timely maintenance, the main hospital building was structurally weak and unsafe for occupancy.

Sources said there will be another structural audit, based on which it will be decided whether to demolish the main building and rebuild it or there is a possibility of other solutions.

Other patient services, like the OPD, which are housed outside the main hospital building, will continue in the interim.

The 150-bed multi-speciality acute-care hospital that caters to more than 1,70,000 outpatients and 9,000 in-patients annually has been in operation since 1945.

“We had received the structural audit report on Aug 19 in which the main building was declared C1 category due to which we held a meeting and decided to shift patients,” a hospital source said.

“For now there are around 50 in-patients who will be shifted. Meanwhile we are holding meetings with nearby hospitals and doctors and will come up with a viable solution on shifting patients depending on their condition,” the source added.

The hospital management is taking necessary precautions to avoid any untoward incidents on the premises. The management has also commenced a second structural audit.

"The safety of our patients, staff and community is of paramount importance,” an official statement from the hospital said. “We are mindful of the wide-ranging impact this decision will have on our patients, our doctors and staff. However, as a responsible healthcare provider, this decision is in the best interests of all our stakeholders. We are working closely with the BMC on this matter and an update will be provided in the next few days.”

Published on: Sunday, August 21, 2022, 11:37 PM IST