The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is set to introduce Diplomate of National Board (DNB) courses at Shri Harilal Bhagwati Hospital in Borivali and M. T. Agarwal Hospital in Mulund as part of efforts to improve suburban healthcare infrastructure and reduce pressure on major civic hospitals in Mumbai. 

The civic administration has also started the recruitment process for DNB faculty positions at both hospitals. Officials said the move is aimed at expanding specialist medical education while simultaneously improving the quality of treatment available to patients in suburban areas. 

According to civic officials, hospitals such as KEM, Sion, Nair and Cooper are facing increasing patient loads. To address overcrowding, the BMC has been strengthening peripheral hospitals by introducing advanced medical services and postgraduate medical training programmes. 

Authorities believe DNB programmes will help attract experienced doctors with MD, MS and DNB qualifications to suburban hospitals, allowing more complex surgeries and advanced treatments to be carried out closer to residential areas. This is expected to reduce referrals to central hospitals and improve access to specialised care for residents in Mulund, Bhandup, Borivali, Dahisar and Goregaon. 

The BMC plans to fill a total of 64 teaching positions across the two hospitals. At Bhagwati Hospital, 34 posts will be recruited, including 32 for degree programmes and two for diploma programmes. At M. T. Agarwal Hospital, 30 posts will be filled, including 28 degree-level and two diploma-level positions.

Recruitment will cover multiple specialisations, including general medicine, general surgery, orthopaedics, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, emergency medicine, ophthalmology, dermatology, radiology, ENT, pathology and anaesthesia.

Under the contractual recruitment model, senior faculty for degree programmes will receive a monthly honorarium of INR 2 lakh, while junior faculty will receive INR 1.5 lakh. For diploma courses, senior teachers will be paid INR 1.5 lakh per month and junior teachers INR 1.25 lakh. Contracts will be renewed every six months. 

In addition, the civic body will recruit junior librarians, junior dieticians, audiologists and optometrists for both hospitals to support academic and clinical services.

The initiative forms part of the BMC’s broader healthcare expansion strategy for 2026–27. The civic body has significantly increased spending on public health infrastructure, including hospital redevelopment, addition of thousands of beds, advanced MRI facilities and super-speciality care units across Mumbai’s public hospitals.

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