Mumbai: Noor Fatima from Kolhapur travelled all the way to J.J. Hospital in Byculla for her husband’s treatment, who is suffering from severe asthma. However, after completing the OPD registration, she had to wait for over four hours as the doctor concerned had not arrived. Like her, many other patients also complained about the unavailability of doctors and delays in accessing other essential services.
J.J. Hospital in Byculla, with 1,352 beds, the state’s largest government-run medical college and hospital, continues to grapple with multiple challenges that are affecting thousands of patients every day. Despite handling an average of 4,500–5,000 OPD cases daily, delays in infrastructure development and operational shortcomings are only adding to patients’ woes.
In another instance, the family of a patient was forced to buy medicines from outside due to the lack of online payment facilities within the hospital. Shuaib Mohammed Bashir Khatib, a resident of Bhendi Bazar and social activist, said the family ended up paying Rs 13,000 for medicines that could have cost Rs 9,000 at the hospital’s pharmacy.
“Since there were no online payment options and the family didn’t have cash at that moment, they had no choice,” Khatib said. The patient had been admitted to the emergency ward around midnight. “It’s unfortunate that in a digital age, patients are still expected to make cash payments at government hospitals,” he added.
J.J. Hospital receives patients from across the state and even from neighbouring states. However, the hospital continues to face persistent issues that impact patient care, including overcrowding, staff shortages, and basic infrastructure problems. Patients have also reported concerns related to staff behaviour, lack of facilities, and long wait times.
The hospital currently has 1,352 operational beds and treats patients not only from Mumbai and Maharashtra but also from surrounding states. Due to the rising number of patients, a new 1,200-bed super-specialty hospital is being built on the same campus. However, the pace of construction is extremely slow—a fact acknowledged by the state’s Medical Education Department in the Legislative Assembly.
Construction of the new facility began in 2019. However, not a single wing has been completed yet, raising concerns about prolonged inconvenience to patients. The cost of the new hospital project has been revised to Rs 778.75 crore from the initial budget of Rs 407.16 crore. The increase is attributed to delays in execution. The Medical Education Department confirmed that the contractor failed to complete the building on time, and penal action has been taken against him. Officials now plan to open at least one wing of the new building by the end of this year.
“The construction of the new building is underway. Once completed, it will help us serve more patients from across Maharashtra and neighbouring states,” said Dr. Ajay Bhandarwar, Dean of Grant Medical College and J.J. Group of Hospitals.
The issue of staff shortage is another major concern. J.J. Hospital currently has 450 vacant positions for ward boys alone. Satyawan Sawant, a senior member of the Karmachari Sanghathan at the hospital, said the existing staff is under tremendous pressure due to the added workload. “Out of the sanctioned strength of around 3,500 posts, 450 remain vacant,” Sawant said. He added that the union is demanding these posts be filled with permanent employees instead of contract workers.
The hospital has nearly 400 resident doctors across more than 60 departments. However, an RTI query revealed significant attendance gaps. According to the data, an Associate Professor appointed in 2021 is yet to join. Even a large number of doctors are either absent or report delay in the hospital.
Social activist Shuaib Khatib alleged that several senior doctors also often fail to report for duty, leaving patients waiting for hours.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a resident doctor from Sir J.J. Hospital said a large number of collection agents from private pathology labs are often seen loitering around the medical store area, targeting patients' families who carry test slips. The doctor suggested there may be a nexus between these agents and some hospital staff.
This concern was officially acknowledged in a circular issued on June 18, 2025, by the Dean of Sir J.J. Hospital, instructing all department heads to enforce a “No Prescription Policy” and ensure that patients are not referred to external labs for tests.
The circular highlighted that a large number of poor and underprivileged patients visit the hospital from across Maharashtra and beyond. Despite having sufficient diagnostic facilities in the hospital’s own labs, patients are often directed to private laboratories. The circular noted that this practice leads to unnecessary hardship and financial burden for patients. The directive seeks to streamline in-house diagnostic services and ensure timely, affordable treatment for all.
Similarly, patients and activists have raised concerns about the availability of medicines. Essential medicines prescribed by doctors are often not available at the hospital’s in-house generic medical store.
Abubakar Kadri, a social activist, claimed that although the pharmacy is designated to sell generic medicines, it frequently stocks and sells branded drugs instead. He further alleged that some doctors prescribe medicines that are not available at the hospital’s pharmacy, forcing patients to purchase them from outside at inflated prices.
A senior administrative official at the hospital stated that medicines are supplied regularly through the government-assigned pharmacy department. However, complaints about patients being asked to purchase medicines from outside are being taken seriously. “If any patient is prescribed external tests or medications, the head of the concerned department will be held fully accountable,” the official warned.
Another pressing concern is the long waiting time for MRI scans. At present, patients must wait nearly a month for an MRI at J.J. Hospital — though this is still shorter than wait times at BMC-run hospitals. According to officials, the hospital has two MRI machines, one of which is over 13 years old and frequently breaks down. The Tesla MRI machine was installed in 2013–14 by Siemens, and hospital authorities say even with 10% annual depreciation, the machine has exceeded its functional life.
“One MRI scan takes about an hour. With our limited machines and staff, we can only perform a fixed number of scans each day. If we get an additional machine, the waiting time can be reduced to just 15 days,” said Dr. Bhandarwar. He added that he has already submitted a proposal for a new MRI machine, which is expected to receive approval in the next two to three months. “We have no space constraints. Once the new machine arrives, the backlog will ease significantly,” he said.
The FPJ is starting from today a series of investigative reports on the state of different public hospitals in Mumbai.
