Mumbai: Dr. R. N. Cooper Municipal General Hospital in Juhu, one of Mumbai’s busiest civic hospitals, is struggling to keep up with the massive patient load. Behind the chaos lies an uncomfortable truth, the hospital, like many others run by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), is heavily dependent on contract workers who face delayed salaries, job insecurity and poor working conditions.
Cooper Hospital Treats More Than 7.5 lakh Outpatients
Every year, Cooper Hospital treats more than 7.5 lakh outpatients, averaging over 2,000 patients daily. With only 715 beds, including 40 for critical care, the pressure on staff is immense. Yet nearly 300 of its sanctioned posts have remained vacant since 2017. Doctors, nurses, registration clerks, ambulance staff and technicians are in short supply, leaving contract workers to fill critical gaps.
This stop-gap system, however, is unstable. In September 2025, when the contracts of about 15 staff expired, registration services almost collapsed. Nurses had to abandon medical duties to handle patient queues, which stretched to the hospital gate. Such crises highlight the fragility of an institution that caters to emergencies from airports, accident cases from the Western Express Highway, and patients across Mumbai’s western suburbs.
Harsh realities of Contract Staff
Contract staff themselves face harsh realities. With no job security, no benefits, and frequent salary delays, morale remains low. Many perform double or triple shifts to cover shortages, yet their work remains undervalued. A resident doctor noted that without them, “doctors are forced to rush consultations, nurses juggle administrative duties, and essential services face disruption.”
The risks extend beyond administration. When disability OPD services had to halt new registrations for two weeks due to staff shortages, patients like Chandrashekhar Rohidas, who is partially visually impaired, had to travel to J. J. Hospital in Byculla for a Unique Disability ID.
For now, the BMC continues to rely on temporary workers, but this approach only patches cracks in a system close to breaking. Unless permanent staff are appointed and structural issues addressed, patients will continue to suffer while the invisible backbone of Mumbai’s public healthcare system, its contract workers, remains overworked and overlooked.
