Medical Apathy At Bhabha Hospital In Mumbai's Kurla: Medicines Out Of Stock, Equipment Failure Impacting Healthcare

Mumbai: Patients at BMC-run Khan Bahadur Bhabha Hospital in Mumbai's Kurla are increasingly being forced to purchase essential medicines from outside pharmacies and travel to private labs for diagnostic tests, owing to persistent shortages in medical supplies and a breakdown of critical equipment. The hospital, one of the oldest in Mumbai's eastern suburbs, is grappling with mounting operational challenges that are taking a toll on patient care.

Hospital Out Of Stock Of Key Medications For Over 2 Weeks, Claims Patient

Nasreen Bano, who was recently admitted to the hospital, required a specific injection. Her husband was told to buy it from outside since the hospital had been out of stock for over two weeks. Such cases are no longer rare. A growing number of patients are reporting similar struggles, many of them from economically weak backgrounds who cannot afford private healthcare.

Former corporator and ex-member of the BMC’s Health Committee, Dilshad Ashraf Azmi, alleged that Bhabha Hospital has been facing a severe and prolonged shortage of medicines. “There has been no regular supply for the past year and a half. The hospital is managing through spot quotations worth Rs 25 lakh at a time, but that’s not sustainable,” she said. “Patients are forced to fend for themselves, even for basic medications,” she added.

High Patient Footfall From Eastern Suburbs

Bhabha Hospital is a 336-bed facility, though only 270 of these beds are functional. Despite its capacity, the hospital is struggling to meet the growing demand for services, with around 1,700 to 2,000 patients visiting its OPD every day. It caters to several dense neighbourhoods such as Kurla, Nehru Nagar, Chunabhatti, Chembur, Tilak Nagar and parts of Ghatkopar, most of which are home to lower-income families who depend entirely on municipal healthcare.

Repeated Failures Of Key Diagnostic Equipments

In addition to medicine shortages, the hospital is dealing with a crippling lack of staff and repeated failures of key diagnostic equipment. Patients often have to be sent elsewhere for basic tests due to non-functioning machines or delays in repairs. Overcrowding and poor maintenance have further added to the chaos, turning routine hospital visits into harrowing experiences for many.

As one of BMC’s peripheral hospitals, Bhabha is crucial for local healthcare delivery. However, unless urgent steps are taken to streamline supply chains, upgrade infrastructure, and fill vacant staff positions, patients will continue to bear the brunt of a broken public health system.