Articles by Somita Pal
Nanded hospital deaths: Dean, head of dept booked for culpable homicide
An FIR was earlier registered against ruling Shiv Sena MP Hemant Patil for allegedly making the dean clean a toilet after the deaths at the hospital.
Updated on Oct 06, 2023 01:46 AM IST
Man dies after allegedly being denied admission at BMC-run hospital twice; family blames negligence
The family of an autorickshaw driver in Jogeshwari has alleged that he would have been alive if doctors at HBT Trauma Care Hospital had admitted him the first time he was taken there in the early hours of Sunday with complaints of chest pain and discomfort.
Updated on Oct 03, 2023 08:00 AM IST
Somita Pal, Mumbai
No public hospital for 5 years: Vikhroli residents up in arms
Residents of Vikhroli in Mumbai are protesting the delay in constructing a new hospital after the closure of the only civic-run peripheral hospital in the area in 2018. The BMC had planned to set up a temporary hospital but has struggled to find a bidder for the project. Frustrated residents, who went on a hunger strike in May, have intensified their protests, citing the lack of healthcare services in the area. The residents are currently forced to travel to other hospitals for emergency care.
Updated on Oct 03, 2023 07:52 AM IST
BMC intensifies aedes mosquitoes detection programme, finds 900 spots a day
Once found, samples from aedes breeding spot are sent to the laboratory where the technician finds the type of aedes mosquito. The officer said the insecticide team has been working even on weekends with the rise in dengue cases
Updated on Oct 01, 2023 11:01 PM IST
After 20 years, BMC appoints administrator for its four hospitals
The assistant municipal commissioner (Health) will be responsible for the administrative work at the medical colleges. The appointment of the AMC will also allow the deans to concentrate more on the clinical and research work and will help in better functioning of our hospitals
Published on Sep 25, 2023 12:45 AM IST
Six-month-old boy becomes the youngest in country to get cochlear implant
Rameshwar, Shivtej’s paternal uncle said it was the grandmother who first noticed it and informed the couple. “Both my brother Nyaneshwar and Supriya have had hearing loss since birth. They could not figure out that Shivtej was not responding to sounds like a mixer grinder. We immediately called the anganwadi and the local district hospital, who directed us to Mumbai,” said Rameshwar
Published on Sep 19, 2023 12:40 AM IST
Maggots, rats found in Bademiya: FDA
FDA has collected 10 food samples for analysis including paneer, marinated chicken with masala, chicken biryani (prepared food), chicken kebab (prepared food), chilli powder, turmeric powder, jeera, kacchi ghani mustard oil and curd
Published on Sep 15, 2023 12:51 AM IST
FDA issues stop work notice to Bademiya
Mumbai's Bademiya restaurant, known for its kebabs, has been issued a stop work notice by the Food and Drugs Administration for operating without a food licence. This is the third restaurant to be issued a notice in the last month. The FDA has been carrying out inspections on eateries following the closure of Papa Pancho da Dhaba restaurant last month after a customer found a rat in their dish.
Updated on Sep 14, 2023 12:20 AM IST
Mahim restaurant, cloud kitchen shut down by FDA
Mumbai FDA shuts down restaurant in Mahim and a cloud kitchen, fines two others in hygiene drive. 68 eateries inspected, violations found.
Updated on Sep 13, 2023 05:25 PM IST
TB patients struggle with treatment as three important drugs remain out of stock
Patients in Mumbai are struggling to access essential drugs for treating drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB). The shortage of medications poses a risk to patients' health and increases the potential for the disease to spread. Mumbai has been experiencing a high number of drug-resistant TB cases, with over 5,000 cases reported annually. Local health officials are working to address the issue and ensure a steady supply of medications.
Updated on Sep 11, 2023 12:50 AM IST
25-year-old dahi handi participant becomes paralysed after fall
“He was on the second level of the pyramid when the person above him slipped and fell on Suraj,” said Sachin Jadhav, Kadam’s uncle. “Suraj’ mandal friends rushed him to a local hospital where they were told to take him to a tertiary care hospital, as he did not have any movement in his lower limbs”
Published on Sep 09, 2023 12:25 AM IST
BMC to expedite work for 10 bed-ICU at Sewri TB hospital
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is expediting the preparation of a 10-bed ICU at the Sewri TB Hospital in Mumbai in response to the struggle faced by a multi-drug tuberculosis patient for an ICU bed. The ICU will be a negative pressure Intermediate Respiratory Care Unit (IRCU) for patients with acute respiratory failure. TB survivors and activists are calling for more ICU facilities for TB patients in the city.
Updated on Sep 05, 2023 12:47 AM IST
Pvt hospitals reluctant to join BMC’s effort to combat TB
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has found only one private hospital willing to collaborate on drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) centres, despite appeals to major corporate hospitals. Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital has agreed to partner with BMC, offering access to the latest TB drugs. BMC is urging other hospitals to change their approach and provide dedicated wards for TB patients. Mumbai has the highest TB burden in India, with 65,556 new cases recorded in 2022. Private DR-TB centres would improve access to treatment, as many patients prefer private healthcare.
Updated on Sep 05, 2023 12:39 AM IST
TB patients’ struggle for ICU bed is real, unfortunate
A woman suffering from multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) died in Mumbai after struggling to find an ICU bed due to her positive TB status. The lack of ICU facilities for TB patients in the city highlights the inadequate preparedness to deal with the disease. The family had to travel 45 km to find an ICU bed, and by the time she received critical care, it was too late. Doctors and activists are calling for improved ICU facilities for TB patients in Mumbai.
Updated on Sep 04, 2023 12:31 AM IST
Limited data to support state’s TB preventive treatment of close contacts: Dr Zarir Udwadia
In the editorial titled- ‘Treating household contacts of MDR-TB patients: Are we being too hasty?’Dr Udwadia, the lead author, said there is limited data to support the approach taken by the state government and therefore, there is a need to evaluate the impact
Updated on Sep 01, 2023 12:54 AM IST
JJ Hospital’s super-speciality building construction gets an 18-month extension
The super speciality hospital was planned in 2010, and Ratnakar Gaikwad, then chief secretary, had put it on the fast track. When the BJP government took over in 2014, Mahajan got all the sanctions. The Bhoomi poojan was done in 2019, and the work order was issued in July 2020. The contractor was supposed to complete the work in 36 months
Updated on Aug 31, 2023 01:00 AM IST
Doctors’ shortage plagues 5 BMC-run medical colleges
Five medical colleges in Mumbai, India, run by the BMC are facing a shortage of 439 doctors, representing 27% of total sanctioned posts. Vacancies for assistant professors are particularly high, causing issues with academic work and patient care. The BMC has stated it is working to fill these positions. KEM Hospital has the highest number of vacancies with 180 posts. Contractual doctors are planning a protest on 29 August to highlight the shortage.
Updated on Aug 29, 2023 12:49 AM IST
Somita Pal, Mumbai
BMC takes steps to enhance nutritional quality of hospital meals
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in Mumbai has directed its doctors and dieticians to visit private and charitable hospitals to improve the quality of meals provided to patients. The visit will also involve studying the process of delivering nutritious food to patients. The aim is to address patient grievances and ensure high-quality, nourishing meals are provided. The BMC will also assess dietary practices and nourishment provisions in these hospitals. Additionally, the shortage of dieticians in civic-run hospitals will be addressed by hiring on a contractual basis.
Updated on Aug 27, 2023 12:40 AM IST
BMC slashes tendering cost to encourage participation in medicine procurement
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in Mumbai is slashing the tendering cost to encourage more distributors to participate in the medicine tendering process. The decision was made after discussions between the BMC and vendors. The aim is to promote healthy competition and increase the number of vendors. The BMC will also streamline the medicine and equipment procurement process and make changes to the Central Purchasing Department. This comes after reports of an artificial shortage of medicines at BMC-run hospitals.
Updated on Aug 23, 2023 12:51 AM IST
Two suspected leptospirosis deaths in 10 days; cases all-time high in five years
Two suspected leptospirosis deaths have been reported in Mumbai, bringing the total number of suspected deaths this year to three. The city has also seen 661 cases of leptospirosis, the highest in five years. Leptospirosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria and is commonly transmitted to humans through cuts or ingestion of floodwater. The city has issued an advisory for citizens who have come into contact with rainwater to take preventive medication.
Updated on Aug 22, 2023 12:10 AM IST
BMC cancels weekly off of CPD officers to streamline medicine purchase
Mumbai's civic-run hospitals, facing a shortage of basic medication, have canceled the weekly offs of Central Purchase Department (CPD) officers to streamline the tendering and procurement process of medicines. The CPD has been accused of not floating bulk tenders, causing hospitals to purchase medicines at exorbitant rates from local vendors. Patients have been forced to buy basic medicines from outside. The state government has launched an inquiry into the procurement of medicines and equipment by civic-run hospitals. Emergency meetings have been held to address the issue.
Updated on Aug 20, 2023 12:18 AM IST
BMC’s largest hospital has only one intensivist
KEM Hospital in Mumbai is struggling to fill six vacancies for intensivists in its ICUs, despite offering higher salaries. The hospital has resorted to pulling doctors from other departments to manage critically ill patients. The shortage of intensivists is also affecting the hospital's organ donation programme. Doctors are hesitant to join the hospital due to better pay and more flexible working hours in private hospitals, as well as discouraging regulations in the BMC. The BMC has decided to train its doctors in critical care medicine and has allocated 100 ICU beds in another hospital to address the crisis.
Updated on Aug 19, 2023 12:56 AM IST
Somita Pal, Mumbai
How paediatric cancer survivors at Tata Memorial became winning sportsmen
Over a decade later the hospital’s endeavour has birthed amateur sportspeople, who are making a mark at district and state levels in various sports of their choice
Updated on Aug 18, 2023 12:49 AM IST
BMC to discontinue outsourcing doctors for its peripheral ICUs
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in Mumbai has decided to stop outsourcing manpower for the ICUs of its peripheral hospitals after an FIR was registered against a trust for recruiting unqualified doctors. The BMC will now post its own doctors in the ICUs and is planning to train them to handle ICU patients. Additionally, the BMC has dedicated 100 ICU beds in SevenHills Hospitals for critically ill patients from its peripheral hospitals. The move comes as Mumbai faces a shortage of ICU doctors and a rise in monsoon illnesses.
Updated on Aug 14, 2023 11:44 PM IST
Burn centre at Cooper Hospital to get major upgrade
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in Mumbai plans to upgrade RN Cooper Hospital to have a state-of-the-art burn center due to a lack of beds and expertise in treating severe burn cases. The hospital has sought suggestions from leading plastic surgeons on the upgrade. Currently, severe burn cases are transferred to Airoli's National Burns Centre, but the high cost of treatment is a deterrent for the underprivileged. Last month, NBC waived off charges for a family's treatment on humanitarian grounds.
Updated on Aug 14, 2023 12:43 AM IST
Doctor’s body raises concerns about unemployment among PG students
MARD representatives said since there are more eligible candidates, around 1,100 students will be unemployed for three to four months. Dr Pravin Dhage, who represented PG doctors in the meeting with DMER said, “There are 14 PG specialty (courses), and in most of the courses, the number of seats is much less than the number of qualified candidates. Many of us will be unemployed for a while, and completing the bond is compulsory.”
Updated on Aug 11, 2023 12:40 AM IST
Soon, a new board will replace NAAC for giving accreditation to medical colleges
The National Medical Commission (NMC) in India is introducing a new framework to change the accreditation process for medical colleges in Maharashtra. The current system, run by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), is deemed insufficient for assessing medical institutions. The NMC plans to establish the National Board of Accreditation for Medical Sciences to ensure a standardized process for all medical colleges across the country. The new accreditation system will focus on 11 parameters, including surgeries and infrastructure. This change aims to address concerns about colleges attracting students without meeting medical science requirements.
Updated on Aug 10, 2023 01:05 AM IST
BMC doubles down on addressing shortage of medicines at hospitals
BMC hospitals in Mumbai face an artificial shortage of medicines, leading to patients having to buy them elsewhere. Doctors and nurses are now being assigned to monitor the stock and cleanliness to address the issue. A CAG report also highlighted delays in finalizing contracts for medicines.
Updated on Aug 09, 2023 12:59 AM IST
Somita Pal, Mumbai
Wadia hospital to start paediatric heart transplant programme
Mumbai's Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children plans to start a heart transplant programme to address the challenges faced by children with congenital heart disease. The hospital already has a liver and kidney transplant programme, but the addition of a heart transplant programme will provide essential healthcare services to patients in need. However, there are challenges such as the high cost of surgery and a lack of awareness about organ donation that still need to be addressed.
Updated on Aug 06, 2023 12:34 AM IST
BMC’s human milk bank touches pre-Covid numbers with up to 60% rise in donations
The milk bank at BYL Nair Hospital in Mumbai Central which saw 217 litres of human milk donations in 2018, registered 275 litres of donations in 2022, while Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar, which received 20-litre donations in 2018, saw a 30-litre donation last year
Updated on Aug 04, 2023 12:17 AM IST