Mumbai: 45 percent of posts in BMC hospitals lie vacant

It has come to light that around 45% of positions are vacant at three Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) run major hospitals including the KEM, Sion, and Nair. These vacancies include professors, assistant professors, lab technicians, X-ray technicians, nurses, sanitation staff, and ward attendants. As a result, not only is patient care being affected, but the existing staff are also experiencing increased pressure.

The Public Health Rights Campaign has revealed these statistics. The campaign has also suggested that the BMC should focus on strengthening public health services by filling vacant posts instead of privatising hospitals through public-private partnerships (PPPs).

There are 1,017 posts of professors, assistant professors, technicians, and nurses in the three major hospitals, KEM, Siva, and Nair, out of which only 473 posts are filled on permanent appointment. In this, 106 posts of professors have been approved in KEM Hospital, out of which 40 posts are vacant. 168 posts of associate professors have been approved, out of which 50 posts are vacant. There are 33 posts of laboratory assistants, all of which are vacant. Out of 27 posts of laboratory attendant, 10 posts are vacant. Out of 52 posts of X-ray technician, 30 posts are vacant, out of 72 posts of assistant technician, 61 posts are vacant, and out of 116 posts of nurses, 13 posts are vacant.

Out of 99 professor posts at Shiva Hospital, 54 are vacant, out of 138 associate professor posts, 40 are vacant, and out of 225 assistant professor posts, 153 are vacant. Similarly, 23 out of 44 posts of drug distributors, all 23 posts of laboratory assistants, 34 out of 71 posts of laboratory technicians, and 19 out of 44 posts of X-ray technicians are vacant.

Out of 78 professor posts at Nair Hospital, 31 are vacant, 29 out of 115 associate professor posts, and 132 out of 184 assistant professor posts are vacant. Similarly, 30 out of 66 posts of laboratory technician, 28 out of 45 posts of X-ray technician, 27 out of 99 posts of maid, 68 out of 192 posts of nannies, 130 out of 383 posts of room attendant and 120 out of 325 posts of cleaners are vacant.

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Filling the vacant posts in these three BMC hospitals can help reduce the stress on the staff and workers in the hospitals. However, instead of recruiting for the posts, the civic body is planning to develop hospitals through PPP and privatise them. Similarly, around 1,200 MBBS and 1,000 postgraduate doctors graduate from the medical colleges of the BMC every year. It is possible to fill the posts of doctors if these doctors are recruited in the hospital itself. However, the Public Health Rights Campaign said that the civic body is doing injustice to the common people by recruiting contract doctors.