It's a waterworld at MGM hospital

Up to 103 patients in five functional wards of the hospital were shifted to BMC-run KEM hospital, ESIC hospital in Worli and the state-run JJ hospital or were discharged and asked to follow up with the outpatient department.

“We will not be admitting patients until the monsoon passes. OPDs will function in the dean’s building and staff will be on attendance,” said Dr Nimesh Shah, medical superintendent of MGM Hospital.

Of the 103, seven patients were shifted out of the ICU, two of whom had dengue and malaria respectively; two were cardiac patients and others had respiratory problems.

All the five functional wards have leakage problems and toilets were overflowing because of the debris clogging drains. To make matters worse, BEST had to cut off power supply to the hospital to prevent short circuits. “With no electric supply, the patients had to be evacuated in ambulances and taxis. The evacuation started from 9 am and lasted till 5pm,” said Dr Shah.

The main reason for waterlogging, hospital authorities said, is the construction activity that is going on in the 9-acre campus which houses 10 buildings including the main hospital building, nursing college and staff quarters. Since 2009, two seven storey buildings are being constructed on the campus to accommodate a refurbished medical college in the hospital building and hostel quarters.

“The government-owned National Building Construction Company has delayed construction considerably. It should have been over by now. Earlier we had twenty-five functional wards, which were brought down to five as the construction began,” said Dr Shah. “Waterlogging had started from  Saturday. We never had to face such an adverse situation even when the rains were heavy.”