'Only Qualified Technicians To Conduct ECGs': BMC Issues Strict Circular After ₹12 Lakh Human Rights Penalty

Mumbai: Following the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) order imposing a ₹12 lakh penalty on the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for a severe human rights violation, the civic health department has issued a circular directing all peripheral and specialty hospital in-charges to ensure that electrocardiogram (ECG) tests are conducted only by qualified ECG technicians.

MSHRC Action Over Untrained Staff Handling ECGs

The MSHRC’s action came after findings that untrained staff including ward boys and sweepers had been performing pre-operative ECG tests at Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya Shatabdi Hospital in Govandi.

In a circular issued on November 4, Dr. Chandrakant Pawar, Chief Medical Superintendent and Head of the Department (S.H.C.S.), instructed all hospital in-charges to strictly ensure that ECG procedures are carried out exclusively by qualified technicians. He noted that oral instructions had been issued earlier, but compliance must now be enforced without exception.

Hospital Operated Without Technician for a Year

Last month, the MSHRC found that Shatabdi Hospital in Govandi had been functioning without a trained ECG technician for over a year, putting thousands of patients at risk.

The commission directed the BMC to pay ₹12 lakh in compensation for the human rights violations and negligence that occurred during that period.

During the hearing, Dr. Rajeshree Wayal, representing the BMC, admitted that ward boys were performing ECGs due to a prolonged vacancy in the technician post.

Circular Sparks Concern Across Civic Hospitals

The MSHRC order and subsequent circular have sparked widespread concern across peripheral and specialty hospitals. The circular reiterates that only qualified ECG technicians are authorized to perform the test and that hospital in-charges must ensure strict adherence to this directive.

However, many hospitals continue to face acute staff shortages, with ECG technician posts either vacant or non-existent. In several centers, only one technician is available, leaving hospitals vulnerable during evenings, nights, and public holidays.

Healthcare Staff Demand Emergency Flexibility

“After 5 p.m., when the technician is off duty, what happens if a patient with chest pain arrives? Delaying an ECG in such cases can be life-threatening,” said a senior resident doctor from a municipal hospital, expressing frustration over the lack of ground-level planning.

Healthcare workers have urged the civic authorities to revise the circular to allow either an ECG technician or the on-duty medical officer to perform the procedure during emergencies.