Overview
- Over 25 organisations under the Aspatal Bachao, Nijikaran Hatao Kriti Samiti have formally launched a drive demanding the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation halt PPP-based hospital projects.
- The coalition plans citywide meetings and awareness drives culminating in a November 30 state conference, with vows to challenge election candidates and warn of a possible strike if outsourcing proceeds.
- An RTI response shows major staffing gaps: KEM has 38% professor and about 40% associate professor posts vacant, Sion reports 68% vacancies among assistant professors and 48% among lab technicians, and Nair has 72% assistant professor vacancies and over 60% shortages among X-ray and theatre technicians.
- A study cited by union leaders found patient charges under municipal PPPs ranged from two to 25 times public hospital rates, while activists say there is no independent evidence of quality improvements.
- BMC proposals seek long-term contracts to outsource ICUs, diagnostics, dialysis and other services across multiple hospitals, with tenders indicating models such as 70% paying beds at Shatabdi and set bed allocations at Lallubhai, and officials did not provide comment.