Navi Mumbai, August 5, 2026: The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) is set to undertake a major expansion of its public healthcare infrastructure with plans to increase neonatal intensive care facilities, upgrade hospitals, recruit specialist doctors and improve access to government health schemes, as the civic body prepares to meet the growing healthcare demands of the city's rising population.
The initiatives were reviewed during a meeting chaired by Municipal Commissioner Dr Kailas Shinde, who directed the Health Department to strengthen healthcare delivery through infrastructure upgrades, improved patient management, enhanced manpower and better implementation of public health programmes.
Healthcare Infrastructure Expansion
Health Committee Chairman Dr Jayaji Nath said the civic body is decentralising healthcare services to reduce the patient burden on the civic hospitals in Vashi, Nerul and CBD Belapur, which continue to witness heavy footfall.
As part of the strategy, the Maternal and Child Health Hospital at Airoli will be upgraded into a General Hospital with First Referral Unit (FRU) status, allowing residents to access advanced treatment closer to home.
The civic body has already operationalised an MRI centre and Cath Lab at Vashi Hospital, while an MRI facility is proposed at Airoli. Structural and operational upgrades are also planned at hospitals in Koparkhairane, Digha, Turbhe and CBD Belapur to improve patient care and expand medical services.
Critical Care Strengthening
Recognising the increasing number of critically ill newborns referred from private hospitals, the NMMC has proposed establishing a modern modular Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with a capacity of 20 to 25 beds.
The civic body also plans to increase Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) beds and recruit super-specialist doctors to strengthen critical care services.
To address the shortage of specialists in civic hospitals, the NMMC is considering offering remuneration comparable to, or higher than, government pay scales by utilising its administrative autonomy. The proposal is aimed at attracting and retaining experienced specialists in the municipal healthcare system.
Government Health Schemes
The Commissioner also directed officials to expedite the distribution of Ayushman Bharat health cards to all eligible beneficiaries in the NMMC area and establish a dedicated health assistance cell with a nodal officer for Ayushman Bharat and the Mahatma Phule Jan Arogya Yojana.
The list of 29 empanelled hospitals under the state health insurance scheme will also be widely publicised to improve awareness among citizens.
Reviewing maternal and child healthcare, Dr Shinde instructed the Health Department to conduct detailed maternal and infant death audits, maintain daily digital birth registration records and organise regular training programmes for municipal doctors, ASHA workers and Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) to improve treatment outcomes.
Disease Control Measures
The civic body will also intensify tuberculosis control initiatives, explore additional nutritional support for TB patients and conduct quarterly health camps. With the monsoon increasing the risk of vector-borne diseases, officials have been directed to strengthen anti-mosquito drives, fogging operations and rodent control across construction sites, villages, LIG colonies and slum areas.
To ensure uninterrupted treatment, the NMMC has introduced a petty cash system allowing doctors to immediately procure essential medicines if they are temporarily unavailable in hospital stock, ensuring that no patient is denied treatment due to medicine shortages.
Also Watch:
"Our objective is to build a healthcare system that is accessible, reliable and capable of meeting Navi Mumbai's future needs. We are strengthening hospitals, expanding critical care facilities, ensuring the availability of specialist doctors and making government health schemes more accessible so that citizens receive quality healthcare without hardship," Dr Jayaji Nath, Chairman of the NMMC Health Committee, said.
To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/
