From JJ to KEM: Inside Mumbai’s Healthcare Crisis | The Reality of 10 Major Hospitals

Mumbai, India’s financial capital, prides itself on having some of the largest public hospitals in the country. These institutions, meant to be a lifeline for millions, are instead crumbling under the weight of overcrowding, staff shortages, poor infrastructure, and neglect.

Patients and their families are often left waiting endlessly for treatment, battling unhygienic conditions, security lapses, and financial burdens in facilities meant to provide free or affordable healthcare. A closer look at ten of the city’s most critical hospitals reveals the scale of the crisis.

Ailing Hospital Part 1: J.J. Hospital

Noor Fatima from Kolhapur traveled to J.J. Hospital for her husband's asthma treatment, only to wait over four hours for a doctor who never arrived. This reflects the hospital’s chronic issue of doctor unavailability and delays, according to the information given by Noor Fatima to FPJ Reporter Amit Srivastava.

Maharashtra's largest hospital, with 1,352 beds, handles 4,500–5,000 daily OPD cases but struggles with overcrowding, staff shortages, and outdated infrastructure. Families often bear financial strain as medicines are unavailable and online payments are not accepted, forcing them to buy at inflated costs outside. A new 1,200-bed facility launched in 2019 has seen slow progress and soaring costs, now crossing ₹778.75 crore. With 450 posts unfilled, staff workloads are crushing. Allegations of collusion between staff and private labs further taint its image, while outdated MRI machines cause long queues. Plans for new equipment may offer some relief, but patients remain stuck in limbo.

Ailing Hospital Part 2: Rajawadi Hospital

In 2024, a 27-year-old resident doctor was assaulted by a deceased patient’s relative at Rajawadi Hospital, spotlighting growing violence against medical staff. Many such attacks, especially during night shifts, go unreported. Overcrowding, especially during registration, breeds frustration and delays. With 2,500–3,000 patients daily, the hospital’s infrastructure and safety measures are under severe strain. An expansion project for a super-specialty facility is underway, but urgent reforms are needed to improve security, crowd control, and infrastructure before the situation worsens.

Ailing Hospital Part 3: V.N. Desai Hospital

Rabina Khatun from Vakola had her phone stolen while sleeping outside the maternity ward at V. N. Desai Hospital in Santacruz (East). When she asked for CCTV footage, staff told her to first file a police complaint. Though thefts have reduced, activists say one or two still happen every fortnight due to weak night security. Unauthorised individuals also use the maternity ward to sleep, raising safety fears. Serving high-density areas with heavy patient load, the hospital faces serious challenges in security, service delivery, and infrastructure.

Ailing Hospital Part 4: Bhabha Hospital, Kurla

Zarin Khan visited Bhabha Hospital in Kurla for hand swelling but was redirected to Rajawadi Hospital for an X-ray as the local machine was broken. Another patient, Nasreen Bano’s husband, talked with FPJ Reporter Amit Srivastava, who stated that he had to buy an injection outside since it was out of stock for 15 days. Serving 1,700–2,000 daily patients, mostly from low-income backgrounds, the hospital is plagued with broken equipment, medicine shortages, and staff absenteeism. Renovations have worsened chaos, leaving debris, locked toilets, and confusion. While management claims improvements like a restored X-ray machine and reopening of a dispensary, patients continue to suffer daily.

Ailing Hospital Part 5: Nair Hospital

In January 2020, Anil Nagre wrote to PM Modi about worsening conditions at B Y L Nair Hospital. Five years later, problems persist. Its MRI facility has been down since late 2023, with delays in installing a new machine causing stress to families. Serving 3,000 patients daily, Nair Hospital struggles with outdated infrastructure, overcrowding, and high demand that often forces patients to share beds. Despite being a key hospital in central Mumbai, little progress has been made to ease its burden.

Ailing Hospital Part 6: Shatabdi Hospital (Govandi)

In December 2024, it was revealed that a male sweeper was performing ECG tests at Shatabdi Hospital, leading to suspension of services and forcing patients to transfer to Rajawadi Hospital. The 210-bed facility, critical for slum populations, lacks medicines and essential items, pushing patients to private shops. ICU beds have been shut since February 2025 due to doctor shortages, with tragic cases highlighting the risk. Women often have to buy their own surgical supplies for deliveries. Activists accuse the BMC of neglect, sparking concerns about eventual privatization of the hospital.

Ailing Hospital Part 7: Bhabha Hospital, Bandra

The imposing 11-storey tower of Bhabha Hospital in Bandra stands as a promise unfulfilled. Inside, locked doors, empty wards, and absent services confront patients. Mothers wander floors searching for staff, while the elderly wait endlessly or are redirected elsewhere. The tower, meant to modernize healthcare, instead feels abandoned, symbolizing the vast gap between ambition and delivery in Mumbai’s health infrastructure.

Ailing Hospital Part 8: Shatabdi Hospital, Kandivali

A patient at Shatabdi Hospital, Kandivali, waited two hours for plaster treatment due to confusion between doctors and dressers, highlighting poor professionalism. The hospital has a history of negligence, including a rat infestation in 2017. With OPD attendance crossing 3,000 daily and bed occupancy at 129%, overcrowding is chronic. Cleanliness issues, lack of essential medicines, and a blood bank open only during the day worsen patient struggles. Security lapses, theft, and poor hygiene persist despite claims of outsourcing diagnostic services efficiently.

Ailing Hospital Part 9: Cooper Hospital

At Dr. R. N. Cooper Hospital, a clash between a patient’s relative and a security guard over access rules shows the daily tension between patients and staff. The hospital handles 750,000 outpatients annually with just 715 beds, creating immense pressure. Staff shortages—unfilled since 2017—cause backlogs in critical services like disability certificates. Rats, poor biomedical waste handling, and hygiene lapses persist despite a BMC oversight committee. Frustration over long waits and rude staff reflects systemic cracks in the hospital’s operations.

Ailing Hospital Part 10: KEM Hospital

When Shubhangi Khot rushed her ailing brother to KEM Hospital in Parel, all beds were occupied. With 2,250 beds, the hospital still often accommodates two patients per bed. Handling nearly 18.74 lakh outpatients and 65,000 admissions yearly, the hospital faces collapsing infrastructure worsened by monsoon damage. Non-functional CT and overburdened MRI machines cause delays, while staff vacancies lead to protests. Nursing students are also housed in cramped, unhygienic hostels. Despite being one of Mumbai’s largest teaching hospitals, KEM urgently needs infrastructure repair, staff recruitment, and capacity expansion.

A System In Distress

From JJ to KEM, Mumbai’s public hospitals are buckling under the weight of neglect, overcrowding, and chronic shortages. Patients face long waits, financial strain, unsafe conditions, and a daily struggle for dignity. While expansions, renovations, and equipment upgrades are promised, delays and inefficiencies leave families helpless. For a city of over 20 million people, these ailing hospitals are a stark reminder that without urgent reforms, the backbone of Mumbai’s healthcare system risks collapse.

The series of the ailing hospitals in Mumbai is compiled and edited by Manasi Kamble