Mumbai, Feb 05: The newly constructed Smt. M.T. Agarwal Municipal General Hospital in Mulund West will have to wait at least two more months before its Intensive Care Unit (ICU) becomes operational, as the proposal to run the facility through outsourcing is still awaiting approval from the finance department and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) standing committee.
Limited beds operational
The hospital was inaugurated just hours before the announcement of the BMC elections. At present, only 110 beds are operational, even though the hospital has a total capacity of 470 beds, which is planned to be commissioned in phases.
Approval process underway
A senior hospital official said the process to operationalise the ICU is underway and the proposal will be submitted to the standing committee once it is constituted.
“It is likely to take around one-and-a-half months to get approval,” the official said. He added that while 110 beds have been made functional so far, the remaining beds — including 10 ICU beds — will be introduced gradually.
ICU earlier converted into general ward
It may be recalled that in May 2024, following a complaint from the hospital regarding the non-availability of an M.D. Medicine doctor, and based on the verbal instructions of the then Assistant Commissioner, the Intensive Care Unit was temporarily converted into a general ward.
Hospital officials stated that the ICU was non-functional even before the old hospital building was taken up for redevelopment. “Since there were no operational ICU facilities earlier, we have to start afresh,” an official said.
Outsourcing plan for ICU services
Meanwhile, the BMC is in the process of appointing private contractors to operate 153 ICU beds across 12 suburban hospitals, including the Mulund facility. Under the proposal, ICU services will be outsourced for a period of two years, with the BMC spending Rs 3,367 per ICU bed per day.
Political protest over delay
Last week, the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) staged a protest outside the hospital, demanding that ICU services be started within 15 days. The party also submitted a memorandum to the hospital administration, alleging that ICU services remain non-operational more than 45 days after the hospital’s inauguration.
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The MPCC claimed that critically ill patients are being referred to distant hospitals such as Sion Hospital, leading to treatment delays, increased health risks, and significant financial strain on families.
“The impact is especially severe on economically weaker sections that depend on public healthcare facilities. This inauguration was done for political optics, not patient welfare,” said Rakesh Shetty, spokesperson and general secretary of the MPCC.
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