Pune Civic Body Faces Scrutiny Over Hospital Underuse

Several hospitals run by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) are operating below capacity, leading to questions about the civic body's decision to announce new projects. Facilities like Sanjay Gandhi hospital remain unused, while others struggle with insufficient staffing and equipment, according to officials and health experts. Health activists are urging the PMC to focus on optimizing existing resources before launching new initiatives. The PMC's recent budget proposed modernizing and expanding hospitals, alongside upgrading maternity homes to multi-specialty facilities with ICU and NICU services. Plans also include establishing a cancer hospital and a diagnostic center, with proposed IVF services. Officials state that underutilized hospitals will be converted into general or multi-specialty facilities by appointing necessary medical personnel, emphasizing that these services will not be outsourced. The PMC has increased pay scales to attract and retain staff, citing success at Kamala Nehru hospital.