Mumbai Hospital Fails to Open Female Psychiatry Ward Over Staffing Issue

A 10-bed female psychiatry ward at Mumbai's St. George's Hospital remains locked nine months after its inauguration, preventing female patients from being admitted. The hospital has not appointed a female night attendant, a mandatory requirement for admitting female patients.

The hospital's 20-bed male psychiatry ward has been operational since September 2025, primarily serving patients with addiction issues. However, the adjacent female enclosure has remained inaccessible.

Further compounding the problem, a donated electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) machine at the hospital is not in use. This is due to the lack of an appointed anesthetist, a necessary professional for administering ECT, which is crucial for treating severe mental illnesses.

Dr. Yusuf Matcheswalla highlighted these issues, emphasizing the need for female attendants to ensure safe and culturally appropriate care for women. He also criticized the shared outpatient clinic with TB patients as clinically and ethically unacceptable, particularly for vulnerable psychiatric patients.

Hospital authorities stated that recruitment for Class IV staff, including female attendants, is underway and expected within a month. They also mentioned that a new OPD space is being created to address space constraints. Meanwhile, other state-run hospitals in Mumbai, like GT Hospital and JJ Hospital, also face challenges with their psychiatric services, including lack of ECT and ongoing repairs, limiting overall treatment availability.