more-in Mumbai: The standing committee of the Brihanamumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday decided to outsource around 150 intensive care unit (ICU) beds in municipal hospitals for two years due to lack of trained doctors. The opposition staged a walk-out. The civic body runs the city’s biggest public hospitals catering to lakhs of patients every day. However, it has been facing staff crunch for a while now. In peripheral hospitals, it has constructed ICUs, but is yet to hire staff, including intensivists. The civic administration on Wednesday tabled four proposals (three hospitals each) before the standing committee to outsource around 200 beds in its 12 hospitals. These include beds in ICUs, MICUs and TICUs. The BMC admitted that the step has to be taken as it is short of intensivists but is in the process of recruitment. The civic body will take around a year to fill all posts. Leader of Opposition Ravi Raja moved an amendment to reject one proposal alleging privatisation. “The civic body is trying to outsource hospital beds when, according to the MMC Act, it is its primary responsibility to provide healthcare to citizens. How can it absolve itself of this? That is why we opposed the proposal,” Mr. Raja said. Even the Shiv Sena’s ally BJP criticised the move, stating that it is an embarrassment for the civic body. “This is what the state of our healthcare has come down to. The civic body should expedite recruitment. Instead, it is opening doors to private players. How will it monitor the quality of healthcare in ICUs,” BJP leader Manoj Kotak asked. Some Sena corporators also opposed the move, owing to which the first proposal was rejected. The proposal was to outsource 52 beds in three hospitals at a cost of ?8 crore. However, the other three proposals were passed by the Sena’s majority, following which the opposition walked out. This effectively means around 150 beds in nine municipal hospitals will now be outsourced at a cost of ?15 crore. They include Bhagwati (Borivali), Rajawadi (Ghatkopar), and MT Agarwal (Mulund) hospitals. However, the contract stipulates that the treatment cost will be reimbursed by the BMC to the contractor, and hence will not be passed on to the patient. “We allowed the proposal to be passed as we do not want patients to suffer. The administration has assured the committee that recruitment will be completed in nine months. We can allow a temporary arrangement until then,” said Sena leader and standing committee chairman Yashwant Jadhav.

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