Home / Health / Mumbai Hospitals Fail Patients: Doctors Absent, Care Denied
Mumbai Hospitals Fail Patients: Doctors Absent, Care Denied
16 Dec
Summary
- Peripheral hospitals in Mumbai are referring patients elsewhere due to absent senior doctors.
- Cataract and gallbladder patients were recently turned away without assessment.
- Doctors allegedly conduct short rounds then leave for private clinics.
Peripheral civic hospitals across Mumbai are reportedly failing to provide essential patient care, with many patients being referred to other facilities. The primary reason cited is the alleged absence of senior resident doctors, who are said to punch in and out without attending to patients. This situation is impacting both routine and serious cases, causing significant distress.
Instances include cataract patients at Shatabdi Hospital being re-routed for months and chest pain patients at MW Desai Hospital being advised to seek care elsewhere without even a basic ECG. Despite these hospitals running postgraduate programs and having sufficient resident doctors, staff allege these doctors often put in minimal appearances, prioritizing their private clinics over hospital duties.
This widespread referral pattern places an increased burden on major civic hospitals. The article highlights that while casualty medical officers provide initial care, the lack of senior doctor supervision leads to patients being sent away. Authorities have stated that some issues are being reviewed, but official responses from some hospital superintendents were unavailable.
