Times of India
20 August 2008
Mumbai, India

MUMBAI’S suburbs will soon have two ultra–modern hospitals. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) has decided to set up two hospitals in the suburbs with an investment of Rs 400 crore and renovate 16 peripheral hospitals at a cost of Rs 150 crore to meet the growing demand for better health care facilities.

“The new hospitals will be set up in Jogeshwari and Govandi within the next two years. Around Rs 400 crore will be spent on these hospitals. The planning and designing has already started,” said BMC additional municipal commissioner Kishore Gajbhiye. Interestingly, the places selected for the proposed medical facilities are significant. Both the places have the history of communal violence and are relatively more crowded.

“The MCGM will also renovate the 16 peripheral hospitals every year and around Rs 150 crore has been allocated for the same”, he added. The bed capacity and medical facilities too are being improved at these hospitals.

“We are also procuring several machines for MRIs, X–rays, scans and few other machines from all over the globe”, Mr Gajbhiye said adding that MCGM was doing this to provide better facilities.

Three main medical college hospitals – KEM, Nair and Sion – are on a five year expansion plan. The work at KEM has started last year and the work at Sion hospital will begin soon. The Nair hospital building has been inaugurated on Tuesday, he said.

“With more and more number of patients visiting the hospital, we have added seven floors, 471 beds, started new wards and opened an Autism Dynamic Intervention (ADI–the beginning) for special children”, Nair Hospital dean Sanjay Oka said.