Mumbai: Trust-run Wadia Hospital — which is on the verge of shutting down due to a financial crunch – has alleged that it has not received funds since past two years. However after the BJP, MNS and Congress threw their weight behind the cash-strapped Wadia hospitals, city Mayor Kishori Pednekar on Monday said the civic body would pay the “pending amount” of around Rs 20 crore to them.
MNS chief Raj Thackeray’s wife Sharmila, too, joined the protesting employees at Wadia Hospital on Monday. “Save this hospital as it has served the whole of Dadar, Parel and the neighbourhood,” she said.
“It’s sad that the hospital is on the brink of closure and the question arises for poor people where they will go and take treatment? The BMC and the respective minister should conduct a meeting on an urgent basis and find a concrete solution to the crisis. We will not let the hospital shut down,” she warned.
The hospital operates as a joint venture between the Wadia family, BMC and the state government. It is known for providing affordable healthcare to children and women and has over 800 beds catering to ailing children and expecting mothers. Over the last few days, the hospital has closed its doors to hundreds of patients even as those admitted are being discharged. The employees’ union protested to highlight its problems as employees have not been getting salaries on time as the hospital does not have sufficient money.
The hospital has already shut down the bone marrow transplant, cardiac surgery, paediatric neurosurgery, paediatric nephro-logy, general surgery, orth-opaedic, haematoid oncology, plastic surgery and pathology departments in the past week, citing a shortage of Rs 229 crore.
The administrative department of the hospital alleged that the BMC hasn’t settled dues of Rs 136 crore since 2017. The state government is yet to pay Rs 93 crore to the hospital. Last month, the BMC released Rs 14 crore. The hospital used that amount to primarily pay the salaries of its 1,500-odd employees.
