Mumbai: The Municipal Mazdoor Union (MMU) has decided to go on a hunger strike against the BMC’s decision to run the health services of five peripheral hospitals on a public-private partnership (PPP) model.
“We have already communicated to the BMC commissioner that we do not support the PPP model,” Pradeep Narkar, MMU’s general secretary told the Free Press Journal. A meeting has been scheduled on April 28 from 2pm to 7pm at the union office, where the course of the protest will be finalised, he added.
The five hospitals planned to be run on the PPP model are Bhagwati Hospital in Borivali (490 beds), Shatabdi Hospital in Govandi (250 beds), KB Bhabha Hospital in Bandra (436 beds), MT Agarwal Hospital in Mulund (110 beds) and Krantiveer Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Hospital in Vikhroli (140 beds). While, a hospital in Mankhurd’s Lallu Bhai compound, built by the MMRDA and handed over to the BMC, which is not operational yet, is also being considered to be included in the list.
The BMC recently floated an expression of interest (EOI) for Bhagwati hospital, after which the union resorted to protest outside the facility. As per the MMU, the EOI has been withdrawn from the civic body's website and no private parties have responded to it.
Although the BMC maintains that the existing staff from these hospitals will be absorbed into its major medical institutions, the MMU remains skeptical about quality control and monitoring at the hospitals listed under the PPP model.
Talking to the FPJ, a dean of a BMC-run periphery hospital said, “Currently, only Bhagwati and Shatabdi Hospitals are being considered for the plan. For the remaining hospitals, the proposal is still in the pipeline.”
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the dean said that the civic hospitals are reeling under manpower shortage, pointing out that 1,800 posts were scrapped recently. The administration thinks it's better to run additional beds or new facilities in these hospitals by appointing a private party rather than hiring staff, the dean added.
However, the official said that past experiences have been poor when it comes to the PPP model. “Although the administration appoints an officer on special duty to keep a check, it is practically not possible to monitor every bed details,” he added.
In the 2025-26 budget, the BMC said that it is introducing the PPP model to make health services more accessible and affordable to citizens.
