Mumbai: BMC Medical Colleges Face 27% Shortage; KEM Has Most Vacancies

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is facing a shortage of 439 doctors among the five medical colleges it runs. This includes a dental college too. The vacancies represent 27% (1607) of the total number of sanctioned positions.

The four functional medical colleges run by the BMC are Topiwala Medical National College run along with Nair Hospital in Mumbai Central, Seth Gordhandas Sunderdas Medical College run along with KEM Hospital in Parel, Lokmanya Tilak Medical College run along with Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital in Sion, RN Cooper Hospital and Nair Dentist Hospital.

Among the vacancies, a critical shortage of assistant professors is causing disruptions in both medical education and patient care. There are about 190 critical positions unfilled. It is also reported that postgraduates struggle to find guides, while lecture schedules also face disruption.

The issue stems from a lack of promotions and recruitment. According to a report by the Hindustan Times, Dr. Pravin Dhage, an advisor to the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors said that neither assistant professors nor associate professors are promoted from the rank of lecturer. There is no hiring going on, so recent postgraduates cannot apply. Only contracts are available for employment at BMC hospitals.

KEM Hospital in Parel, Mumbai, has the most vacancies with 180 positions. They are followed by LTMG Hospital, Sion (142), and BYL Nair Hospital, Mumbai Central (88).

The Municipal Medical Teachers Association (MMTA) raised concerns with Iqbal Singh Chahal, the BMC commissioner, during a protest earlier this year regarding the retirement age. A member of the MMTA disclosed that a substantial 40.42% (321) of assistant professor positions (794 in total) are filled on a contract basis across the five medical colleges.

Contractual doctors have worked for years without benefits like housing, maternity leaves, and casual leaves. They are set to stage a protest at KEM Hospital today to support their cause. They cite a lack of job openings since 2017-18 and a bureaucratic "file in process" response from the administration when raising their concerns.