Mumbai: A portion of the ceiling slab on the second floor of the pediatric outpatient department (OPD) at the civic-run V N Desai Hospital in Santacruz collapsed on Saturday, raising fresh concerns over the structural safety of the hospital building, which has been undergoing extensive renovation works. Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident as the second-floor pediatric OPD had been temporarily shifted there while the actual pediatric OPD on the first floor is under renovation.
Previous Assurance to SHRC
The incident comes barely weeks after hospital authorities had assured the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) that leakages and structural deficiencies in the building would be rectified before the monsoon. The commission had taken cognisance of severe leakages on the newly renovated third floor last year but subsequently closed the matter after the hospital administration submitted an undertaking that corrective measures would be completed before the rains.
Hospital sources said the slab that fell was part of the recently renovated second floor, intensifying concerns over the quality of renovation work being carried out at the facility. The actual pediatric OPD located below is presently under renovation, due to which services had been shifted to the second floor for the past four to five months.
BMC's Evacuation Recommendation
Sources in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said the Health Infrastructure Cell (HIC) had already written to hospital authorities recommending evacuation of portions of the building to facilitate comprehensive repairs and renovation, but the proposal has not been implemented.
V N Desai Hospital has been under scrutiny for recurring infrastructure problems despite crores of rupees being spent on renovation and waterproofing works. Health activist Chetan Kothari stated that last year, newly renovated wards on the third floor developed severe leakages, forcing patients to be shifted again. Officials had recently claimed that nearly 80 percent of waterproofing works had been completed and that such incidents would not recur this monsoon. The hospital's renovation and repair works have cost around Rs 16 crore over the past few years.
Despite repeated attempts, V N Desai Hospital Superintendent Dr. Mayura Ingle was unavailable for comment and did not respond to calls or messages.
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