MGM Hospital on brink of collapse

Doctors of the Central government-run MGM Hospital in Parel are working under a tree on the campus, in light of the multiple problems that they have been facing, including the ruckus created by relatives of a patient who passed away in the hospital on Tuesday. The Employee State Insurance Corporation’s (ESIC’s) hospital has been short of funds, and electricity bills and salaries haven’t been paid for a couple of months. Further, on Wednesday, over 100 doctors from the hospital silently protested under a tree against the morcha conducted by Shiv Sena in the hospital on Tuesday. On Tuesday, relatives of a patient, who died at the hospital, protested against the authority’s apathy towards patients. Since the two working elevators within the hospital building were out of order over the weekend, the body of a patient could not be taken down to the morgue. The relatives, along with Sena party workers, then agitated in the hospital premises. The hospital staff, however, claims that they are being cornered from all sides. The hospital is in a dilapidated condition and there is a major financial crunch. Out of total six elevators, four have been dismantled. “We had to do away with a temporary wall to transport the dead patient. The body was carried on a stretcher by labourers through a narrow winding staircase,” said Dr Nimish Shah, medical superintendent of the Hospital. According to Dr Shah, the 450-strong hospital staff has not been paid for the last two months. “The hospital has not even received grants for repairs,” he said. Also, according to sources within the hospital, one of the five-storey buildings was declared unsafe three years ago. The hospital has outstanding medical bills worth '2 crore, electricity bills worth '1.5 crore and property tax worth '1.5 crore, among others. Dr S.S. Bankapur, senior state medical commissioner of ESIC said, “There has been no delay in the grants. The grants had already been released from our side four months ago. There has been some delay at the state-level.”