Mumbai: After a 20-year-long hiatus, the BMC has finally appointed an Assistant Municipal Commissioner (AMC) who will shoulder the burden of administrative works of civic-run medical colleges. Prashant Sapkale, G-North ward Assistant Municipal Commissioner, has been given the additional charge of the AMC (Health).
The long-pending move comes after the municipality learnt that the deans and medical staff are overburdened with other work. Hence, they are unable to give justice to the clinical and research work.
“We already had a vacant post for the AMC, who is responsible for looking after administrative work, but it was not filled for many years,” said an official.
Role of AMC in administration
AMC Dr Sudhakar Shinde said that patients from across Maharashtra flock to the civic-run hospitals. “There is a lot of stress on the doctors working in the hospitals affiliated to the civic-run medical colleges. In such a scenario, the AMC (Health) will help as an administrative officer and help the college officials in the administrative work,” he said.
Prashant Sapkale's role as administrator
According to a senior official, Sapkale will monitor the work of all medical colleges, including the KEM Hospital and Seth Gordhandas Sunderdas Medical College (Parel), the LTMG Hospital and Medical College (Sion), Topiwala National Medical College and BYL Nair Charitable Hospital (Mumbai Central), HBT Medical College and Dr RN Cooper Municipal Hospital (Juhu). “He will be sitting in the KEM and working to resolve manpower, infrastructure and union-related issues while ensuring that sanitation and cleanliness are maintained,” the official added.
Meanwhile, doctors have welcomed this move, stating there was an urgent need for an AMC as patient load increases every year. “Earlier in the 90s, we had administrative post. It helped deans and other staff to focus on hospital work. It is very important to have someone who should look after miscellaneous work where deans are not required,” said Dr Avinash Supe, former dean of the KEM Hospital.
