Mumbai News: Eastern Suburbs To Get First Medical College, BMC Recieves EOI

In a positive development towards setting up a new medical college in Mumbai's Govandi, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has recieved expression of interest (EOI) from one private party. The 100 seat medical college with attached 580-bedded teaching hospital, will be established on public private partnership (PPP) model and will be connected to existing Pandit Mandan Mohan Malviya Shatabdi Hospital. It will be first medical college and hospital in the eastern suburbs and seventh medical college in the city.

"The extended EOI deadline ends today (July 14). We have received interest from one party. The objective to set up a medical college and hospital is taken considering the future requirements and it will ease the patient load in other civic/government hospitals. The college will be set up following all norms under Maharashtra Medical Council. The contractor will construct the medical college, operate and maintain, but under guidance and surveillance of the BMC," said Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Health) Sharad Ughade.

"The Shatabdi hospital will begin operations soon. Establishment of the medical college attached to it, is a long term project and will take a minimum of five years. The western suburbs have Cooper hospital, but the eastern suburbs does a civic run medical college. It has only one major civic hospital that is Rajawadi in Ghatkopar. The new medical college and hospital will ease the patient load," Ughade added.

An senior official from BMC run KEM hospital said, "In last couple of years some 100 medical seats were added to civic medical colleges and hospitals. Establishing a new medical college will take many years, however considering the future requirements it will be helpful. If it's run fully by BMC or under PPP model, having a medical college in the eastern suburbs is needed considering the population rise."

At present, Mumbai has two medical colleges—Grant Medical College and St George Medical College—run by the state government, while the BMC governs the medical colleges attached to Sion, Nair, KEM and Cooper hospitals.