Mumbai: Well-equipped affordable hospital to stand next to Ambani Hospital

An 85-year-old doctor's 25-year-old fight for physical possession of a plot adjacent to Kokilaben Ambani Hospital in Andheri West has been successful. The foundation stone ceremony of a cancer and multi-purpose hospital, which will be set up with the aim of providing medical services at affordable rates, was held recently. The management of this hospital will be handled by Karkinose Healthcare under the health division of Tata Trust.

To obtain a plot of about 12 thousand square metres reserved for the hospital at Andheri West Char Bungalow,for this, Shantabai Kerkar Smriti Charitable Trust Chairman and Paediatrician Dr. Balwant Kerkar applied in 1979. 

But this plot was said to be reserved for the colonies of the employees of the Industries Department. In 1991, reservations for hospitals and maternity hospitals were made on this plot. So the Trust applied again in 1992. That application was not considered. But the Shiv Sena-BJP coalition government leased the plot for 30 years to the trust of renowned heart surgeon Neetu Mandke at the rate of one rupee per square metre. Hence, the Trust challenged in the High Court. The court stayed the distribution. Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray directly recommended Mandke, then Chief Minister Manohar Joshi agreed to the trust and showed his readiness to give a plot of 3700 square metres in the vicinity.

On July 6, 1998, a letter of intent to distribute the plot was issued to Shantabai Kerkar Trust. However, despite submitting the necessary documents, the distribution was cancelled in 2004. So the trust again approached the court. The court ordered a rehearing, but nothing happened.

The trust again knocked on the door of the court and the judge. Mrs. R. P. Sondoorbaldota ruled in favour of the Trust on April 1, 2013 and ordered fresh submission of the project report. But this order was challenged in the Supreme Court by the government. Dr. Kerkar won that battle too. Finally after 25 years Dr. Kerkar inaugurated Shantabai Kerkar Memorial Hospital and Saraswati Devi Cancer Research Centre, a multi-purpose hospital.

Doctors from Tata Cancer Hospital will be attached to this hospital. Cancer patients in western suburbs will benefit from this. But Dr. Kerkar believes that this will be a well-equipped hospital providing other medical services at affordable rates.