Mumbai: Industry Minister Uday Samant recently informed the Legislative Council that a comprehensive roadmap will be prepared to strengthen the healthcare system of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). He said the civic body will be directed to develop an integrated plan to improve healthcare facilities across the city.
The minister was responding to a calling attention motion raised by member Rajhans Singh, who highlighted several shortcomings in civic-run hospitals and primary health centres.
Singh pointed out that while BMC hospitals are meant to provide free or affordable healthcare to common citizens, many facilities are plagued by dilapidated infrastructure, lack of cleanliness, shortage of essential medical equipment, and large vacancies among doctors, nurses and healthcare staff. He also raised concerns over the unavailability of key diagnostic services such as MRI, CT scans, sonography and blood tests in several hospitals, forcing patients to turn to expensive private laboratories.
Additionally, issues such as shortage of medicines, inadequate bed capacity, non-functional ICUs, frequent elevator breakdowns, poor sanitation facilities, lack of ambulances and insufficient amenities for patients’ relatives were highlighted. These gaps, Singh said, are placing a growing financial burden on economically weaker sections.
Responding to the concerns, Samant said that the civic body operates primary health centres, suburban hospitals, and major institutions such as King Edward Memorial Hospital, Nair Hospital, Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital and Cooper Hospital, which are equipped with advanced medical facilities.
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He added that new MRI machines will be installed in four medical colleges, including Nair Hospital, in the coming months. Measures will also be taken to upgrade ICU and basic facilities in smaller hospitals to reduce the burden on major hospitals.
The minister further said that the government will take steps to address issues related to contractual staff and explore reuse of equipment procured during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Members Sachin Ahir, Prasad Lad and Chitra Wagh also participated in the discussion.
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