Finally, Seven Hills Hospital agrees to reserve 20% beds for the poor

After three years of court battle, the Seven Hills Hospital in Marol has finally agreed to toe the civic body’s line. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Seven Hills Hospital management will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to reserve 20 per cent beds for the poor in the next two-three months.

The BMC had allotted a 17-acre plot in Marol-Maroshi to the Hyderabad-based Seven Hills Hospital for setting up a 1,500-bed super-specialty hospital. The civic body and the hospital management have been at loggerheads over facilities for the poor. “The dispute kept on lingering for three years and the matter reached the Bombay High Court. The Seven Hills Hospital management, however, decided to backtrack and accepted the civic body’s conditions two months ago,” said a senior civic official.

Civic officials said the BMC is in the process of preparing the MoU.

“The MoU will be signed with the hospital management. All the terms and conditions will be put again. A new clause saying that the civic body has all the powers to take over the hospital if it violates any conditions will also be added,” said Santosh Muzumdar, executive engineer of Public Private Participation (PPP) Promotion Department.

“As per the MoU, the hospital has to provide 20% services towards beds and all other facilities to the civic body. It will also make it mandatory for the hospital management to give medicines as per the BMC norms,” said Muzumdar, adding that the MoU is likely to be signed in next 2-3 months.