Mumbai: Years of delays deprive patients of modern healthcare

The old K B Bhabha Municipal General Hospital building in Bandra West

While several infrastructure projects suffered on account of the pandemic, even after two years of normalcy, the revamp of Bandra's K B Bhabha Municipal General Hospital is yet to be completed. The first phase of the project was supposed to be completed by July 2021. However, the deadline was extended to September 2023 in light of COVID-19. While a new hospital building to the rear of the existing facility was inaugurated in March 2025, the project's second phase - which includes setting up a central sterile supply department, pre- and post-operation wards, a delivery ward, an X-ray department and a trauma unit - hasn't even started.

The new building, located behind Bhabha Hospital. Pcis/Ashish Raje

A senior official from the hospital said, "The work has been halted for several months now. It looks like there are some budgetary issues. However, no formal communication has come from the corporation's side as to why such a huge building has been constructed and left purposeless.""We had conducted a structural audit, but a year later, the authorities asked us once again to carry out an audit, the report of which we submitted in March 2025. However, no phase 2 work has started yet," the official added. Though the medical services haven't stopped for patients, they are deprived of better facilities as the new building cannot be used yet. "We live in Bandra East, near the station. Whenever we come here, the hospital building appears ready, but we are still told to go to the old building. We do not know when they will provide services in the new building with its state-of-the-art facilities. It would be good if poor people like us are also taken good care of and given modern medical treatment," said Mariam Sheikh, 37, whose son was suffering from a tonsil ailment.

The second phase

"All the operation theatres are ready. But we cannot use any of those as facilities, such as pre- and post-operations rooms, toilets, and sterilisation units, which are to be developed in the second phase, are still pending construction. In the hospital, we had only a cold blood bank facility, which is to be converted into a component blood bank, as cold blood bank treatments are quite outdated. While on the one hand we have given our proposals to set up this new component blood bank under the PPP model as the infrastructure has been built, the process is advancing as the cooling systems that are needed are still not in place, as that also is a part of second phase," said the official, who asked what was the point of just constructing a building. "It is really a sad situation that we still have to work at OTs that leak sometimes and offices that have bugs," said the official.

According to sources, approximately Rs 300 crore to Rs 400 crore has been spent on the development of phase 1 of the new hospital building, and a budget of approximately Rs 125 crore has been allocated for the completion ofthe second phase of the project.

Authorities respond

"Shifting work is still ongoing. Also, we can start establishing the STP unit only after the M&E department takes up the work of electric line cutting and demolition. Regarding the completion of phase 2, we have taken permission from the higher authorities to finish it within a year. Patients will have all planned facilities by mid-2026," said Vikas Patil, executive engineer, health infrastructure cell, BMC.

To have and have not

Work completed under phase 1
>> ICU
>> Eight operation theatres
>> CT and MRI unit
>> Blood bank

Work that is yet to begin under phase 2
>> Central sterile supply department
>> Pre- and post-op wards
>> Delivery ward
>> X-ray department
>> Trauma unit