Mumbai: Cabinet Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha conducted an inspection visit to KEM Hospital in Parel on Monday and questioned the hospital’s Dean, Dr. Sangeeta Rawat, regarding the hospital’s poor and careless administration.
During his visit, it came to his notice that patients and their relatives were forced to stand in queues for two to three hours merely for registration. Expressing strong displeasure over this, Minister Lodha severely reprimanded the administration, warning that if proper and timely treatment was not ensured for patients by next week, he would revisit the hospital and take strict action against the responsible officers.
Criticism of BMC’s Administrative Decay
Lodha stated that in the last 25 years, those who ruled the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have created a corrupt and manipulative system, the consequences of which are still being suffered by ordinary citizens.
Patients’ Grievances and Poor Facilities
During the inspection, patients and their relatives shared their grievances about the hospital’s inefficient and corrupt functioning. The registration area was found to be extremely congested, lacking even basic amenities such as fans.
Thousands of people are forced to wait in one crowded space. While the old building is only two stories tall, the new one has 13 floors—yet the lifts are often out of order. Relatives reported that they are frequently required to carry patients themselves to different departments.
Allegations Against Private Diagnostic Centres
There were also serious allegations that private diagnostic laboratories conducting blood and other medical tests have close links with administrative officials. Even simple blood tests are being referred to private labs.
Moreover, there is a waiting period of 3 to 6 months for essential diagnostic tests such as MRI, CT scan, 2D Echo, and Sonography. Currently, the waiting list for MRI appointments extends until March 2026, for CT scans until January 2026, and similar delays persist for sonography as well.
Hospital trapped in a web of middlemen
It was also revealed that patients are being sent to private labs through brokers repeatedly for tests, allegedly to benefit these outside centers. Minister Lodha questioned Dean Dr. Rawat about this malpractice.
He also noted that while the BMC has allocated ₹556 crore for establishing a computerized and QR-based patient registration system, the facility still remains non-operational—an example, he said, of the municipal body’s utter mismanagement. When asked about this, Dr. Rawat gave a vague response, citing a lack of manpower.
Minister Orders Immediate Reforms
Minister Lodha then directed that an online or other convenient registration system must be implemented immediately so that no patient spends more than half an hour registering.
He also disclosed how deep-rooted middlemen are in the medical system. A person named Khan allegedly demanded ₹25 lakh from doctors who returned to Mumbai after pursuing medical education abroad, to register their daycare centers.
Political Allegations and Assurance of Action
Minister Lodha remarked that the political party that ruled the BMC for the past 25 years has entrenched this culture of brokerage even in the healthcare sector, depriving citizens of their rightful services.
He added that he will bring this entire matter to the notice of Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Shri Bhushan Gagrani and Hon. Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis ji.
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Minister Lodha concluded that the network of corruption and brokerage built by the former BMC rulers over the past 25 years will be dismantled under the visionary and progressive leadership of Hon. Chief Minister Shri Fadnavis ji.
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