Mumbai: A total collapse of basic medical services has been reported at BMC’s M.W. Desai General Hospital in Malad, where even routine suturing is not being performed. Patients with minor cuts are being referred to higher centres after only a basic dressing. The Free Press Journal encountered at least three such cases last week involving minor injuries that required simple surgical intervention.
Patients Referred For Minor Injuries
A 22-year-old Goregaon resident suffered a 3×1 cm cut between his thumb and index finger while working. Staff at M.W. Desai Hospital dressed the wound but referred him to a higher centre instead of performing suturing. The procedure was later completed at HBT Trauma Care Centre, Jogeshwari.
In another case, a 50-year-old man with a deep contused lacerated wound between his right-hand fingers, sustained during a brawl, was also referred for CLW suturing, X-ray, and related care. A 39-year-old man with an avulsion injury to the middle finger of his right hand faced the same situation and was asked to seek a surgeon’s opinion at a higher centre.
Service Failure Despite Adequate Infrastructure
This repeated pattern of referrals has raised serious questions, especially since M.W. Desai Hospital is a 160-bed facility equipped with operation theatres, a surgery department, and qualified doctors, including MBBS practitioners.
“Suturing is a basic medical procedure performed even in remote rural and tribal areas and is routinely handled by Ayurvedic and Homeopathic practitioners, highlighting the extent of service failure at the hospital,” said a health expert.
Experts Flag Serious Lapse In Care
Health experts note that these are standard procedures conducted at all hospitals. According to the BMC’s official website, M.W. Desai Hospital has departments including Minor OT, Surgery, X-ray, OT, NICU, ANC, ECG, and more, making the inability to perform basic suturing a serious lapse in patient care.
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Hospital Superintendent Responds
When the Free Press Journal contacted M.W. Desai Hospital superintendent Dr. Arvind Ugale, he said that suturing is performed at the hospital. He added that in emergency cases at night, if an X-ray cannot be done, the wound is dressed under a surgeon’s supervision and the patient may be referred for a second opinion. “Since I do not have information about the specific cases, I cannot comment further. However, I will look into it,” Ugale said.
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