Patients discharged abruptly or denied admission — this was the fallout of a cold war between the management and staffers of the BCJ general hospital.
MUMBAI: Patients discharged abruptly or denied admission and hospital staffers fired for negligible reasons — this was the fallout of a cold war between the management and staffers of the BCJ general hospital in Santa Cruz, also known as the Asha Parekh Hospital. The trustees announced a lock-out on Friday night after some of their union workers allegedly hit their legal consultant, A Mulla.
Although the 150-bed hospital is fully staffed, the wards are empty. Employees of the 48-year-old hospital claim that on Thursday, the management had issued a notice saying that no patient should be admitted either in the wards or the casualty. “We had an idea that the management was trying to shut down the hospital as they plan to sell off the plot,” said Mohan Lokegaonkar, union leader of the hospital.
However, it is the patients who are bearing the brunt of the prevailing chaos as this is the only well-equipped hospital in the area. “The management had asked those seeking treatment at the hospital to shift to other hospitals or lie unattended. Some were discharged without having to pay for treatment,” said an irate staffer.
Prabha Jadhar, 48, who had a fibroid surgery on Wednesday, was asked to shift to another hospital. “Our doctor said he will not be able to attend to her so we are shifting to a nursing home nearby,” said her son. “This hospital provides treatment at a reasonable price and if it shuts down, middle class people in the area will be helpless,” said Viren Modi, who resides nearby. “I hope this dispute is resolved soon as my husband cannot travel much and this hospital is the closest to our place,” said Alaknanda Dalal, 62, who has been coming to hospital for the last two years for her husband’s dialysis.
The chairman of the hospital, Dr Mugat Shah, refuted all allegations. “On the contrary, we are in the process of erecting a super-specialty hospital that will be connected to the BCJ hospital building. We have already submitted the plan for the upcoming 11-storeyed super-specialty hospital to the BMC,” said Shah. “Therefore, there are no plans to shut down the hospital whatsoever. We have asked for police protection and once we get that, we shall start functioning again,” he added.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}