Mumbai: BMC’s hospital hunt hits a snag; third tender floated, but no takers yet!

Krantiveer Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Hospital at Vikhroli’s Kannamwar Nagar has been closed for years. File pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

After receiving minimal responses for an alternative ready-to-move facility for Vikhroli's Krantiveer Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Hospital, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has, for the third time, issued a tender for the same purpose.

A BMC medical officer said, "We previously issued an expression of interest, but received only one response from Shushrusha hospital. Unfortunately, in the current tender issuance, we haven't received any response, not even from them." This marks the first occasion, following an initial tender in August, that the BMC is contemplating the operation of a hospital through rented facilities. The decision stemmed from a hunger strike staged by Vikhroli residents earlier this year, demanding improved hospital facilities in their area, as the Jyotiba Phule hospital had been closed due to its deteriorating condition in 2018.

In June, the civic body obtained approval from MHADA and paid Rs 13.23 crore for land use and other fees for the facility's reconstruction, a project with a minimum timeline of three years. According to the plans, the newly reconstructed hospital will boast 500 beds and two buildings, but it currently operates with merely 55-60 beds within a local maternity home.

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Dr Yogesh Bhalerao, a member of Amhi Vikhrolikar, the group that organised the hunger strike, said, "There is a shortage of doctors and nurses there, and ICU doctors have not been attending to the patients properly." Meanwhile, BMC officials admit that the daily operations at the borrowed facility have fallen short of the required standards. "Once the rented facility is up and running, these problems won't occur," said a BMC official.

The rented facility is projected to accommodate 100 to 150 beds. Sanjay Kurhade, deputy municipal commissioner, said, "A final decision will be made on the matter if we do not receive any responses this time around." However, he could not provide an explanation for the lack of market interest in the facility.

500
No of beds that new facility will possess