Mumbai: Four years on, upgrade of three suburban hospitals awaited

The new MT Agarwal hospital will have 470 beds, including 180 in the ICU. Pic/Rajesh Gupta

The dream to convert three civic-run hospitals in the suburbs into super-speciality facilities has not been realised yet. This plan received approval in 2019 and the total estimated cost of upgrading the institutes - Pt Madan Mohan Malviya Centenary Hospital, commonly known as Shatabdi hospital, in Govandi; Mansadevi Tulsidas (MT) Agarwal Hospital in Mulund; and Shri Harilal Bhagwati Municipal General Hospital, also known as Bhagwati hospital, in Borivli - is Rs 1,500 crore. Buildings are being constructed on the premises of the three hospitals to house the new facilities.

The under-construction building on the premises of Bhagwati hospital. Pic/Anurag Ahire

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) claims all three mega projects will be completed and functional in 2023. The civic body has three major hospitals - Sion, KEM and Nair - in the city, but it hasn't been able to establish a new hospital for decades. Demands to convert or redevelop hospitals in the suburbs have been long-standing. In light of the requirement and consistent requests from citizens and local representatives, the projects were green-lit and construction work was initiated, but four years on, the projects are still under construction.

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A former BMC official said, "Work is going on at a snail's pace and they might keep it that way considering the elections." Recently, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced that the civic body would take over SevenHills Hospital, Andheri, turning it into a multi-speciality hospital. The demand to acquire the hospital came as local representatives cited a lack of super-speciality facilities in the suburbs. Additional Municipal Commissioner Dr Sanjeev Kumar stated, "All the hospitals will be completed within the next few months."

Pt Madan Mohan Malviya Centenary Hospital

Shatabdi hospital was built in December 1982 ahead of the BMC's centenary. It is just 10 km from the entry point into the city from Navi Mumbai. Therefore, demands had been made for special facilities for the benefit of patients from the Konkan region.

Rs 501.92 crore has been sanctioned for revamp of Shatabdi hospital at Govandi. Pic/Rajesh Gupta

MP Rahul Shewale, who was the first to demand that the hospital be converted into a super-speciality facility, in 2008, said, "I made this demand when I was corporator as citizens had to rush to Sion hospital if no specialist was available. There was vacant land for the construction of the new building. Finally, it got the push in 2019."

Rs 501.92 crore has been sanctioned for the redevelopment of the hospital. The upcoming structure will be a ground-plus-eight-storey building with a basement. It will have 580 beds, including 100 in the ICU.

Mansadevi Tulsidas Agarwal

This hospital was started on October 2, 1958, on land donated by the Agarwal family. The hospital currently has 140 beds but most of its departments were shifted to SVDS Hospital, Mulund East as the old building was declared dilapidated in 2015. The new hospital will have 470 beds, including 180 in the ICU. Prakash Gangadhare, an ex- BJP corporator who pursued the demand for a decade, said, "Locals from Nashik come to Mumbai to get the treatment as there are no super-speciality available. There was a need for a hospital at an entry point that would cater to this need. There were many technical and administrative challenges, but after 16 to 17 joint meetings with representatives, the plan was approved and construction was started," he added.

Shri Harilal Bhagwati Municipal General Hospital

The hospital was inaugurated in October 1968. But as the structure got dilapidated, most services were shifted to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital in Kandivli West in October 2013. The cost for the construction of the new building, a ground-plus-eight-storey structure, was estimated to be R500 crore. In 2016, the first phase was completed and a 110-bed medical department was started in the building. Due to delays in construction and cost escalations, the new hospital will have 500 beds instead of the planned 1,000.