Mumbai News: Varsha Gaikwad Slams Govt, BMC Over 'Deplorable' State Of Cooper Hospital

After inspecting R.N. Cooper Hospital in Vile Parle on Wednesday, Congress president and Mumbai North Central MP Varsha Gaikwad launched a sharp attack on the state government and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), accusing them of “playing with the lives of Mumbaikars.”

Gaikwad said that providing public healthcare is the moral responsibility of both the government and the civic body, yet several municipal hospitals in Mumbai are literally on “ventilator support” due to lack of facilities.

“Where Is the ₹7,000 Crore Health Budget Going?”

“Poor patients are suffering,” Gaikwad said, questioning, “Where exactly is the ₹7,000 crore health department budget of the BMC going?”

She was accompanied by former MLA Ashok Jadhav, Mohsin Haider, Ashraf Azmi, Avnish Singh, Mrs. Haider, spokesperson Sureshchandra Rajhans, Kacharu Yadav, Jaykant Shukla, and Neeta Mahadik. The delegation interacted with hospital staff and patients during the visit.

Dr. Shailesh Mohite, Dean of Nair Hospital, who has been appointed to supervise sanitation and enforce staff discipline, was also present.

“Rats Rampant, Six Patients Bitten in Two Months”

Speaking to the media, Gaikwad alleged that the condition of Cooper Hospital has been deplorable for months.

“It is clear that patients here neither have access to proper facilities, medicines, nor enough staff. Even basic amenities are in disarray. The hospital is so unhygienic that rats are rampant — shockingly, in the past two months, six patients have been bitten by rats. Yet, the government and BMC remain in a deep slumber like Kumbhakarna,” she said.

“Stop Playing With People’s Lives”

“If this government has even a shred of morality left, it must immediately stop playing with people’s lives and ensure that all necessary facilities for patients are restored without delay,” Gaikwad asserted.

She further stated that similar issues persist across hospitals in Kurla, Bandra, Govandi, and Ghatkopar. “Facilities are inadequate and there is a severe shortage of doctors. Despite repeated representations, both the government and the BMC continue to ignore the issue. This is being done deliberately to push civic hospitals toward privatization. But we will never allow that,” she said.

“Public healthcare is the responsibility of the government and the municipal corporation, and we will continue to oppose any move toward privatization,” Gaikwad warned.