The National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued a notice to the Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College under the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) regarding the shortage of beds and warned that the hospital’s accreditation could be cancelled.
Last year, PMC’s health department announced plans to modernise its hospitals with increased bed capacity and a modular operating theatre. But on-ground implementation has lagged due to a lack of manpower, including doctors, nurses and ward staff. This shortage is now the biggest hurdle in making the new beds functional.
Although temporary beds have been placed on some hospital floors, technical and electrical work, including the installation of oxygen lines, remains incomplete.
At present, the hospital faces a shortage across almost all major departments. In General Medicine and General Surgery, 100 beds each are required but only 60 are available, leaving a shortfall of 40 in both. Paediatrics has 50 available beds, but still falls short of nine beds as per NMC norms. Dermatology has no beds at all despite a requirement of 10, while Orthopaedics has only 20 out of the required 40.
Similarly, the ENT and Ophthalmology departments have no functioning beds, even though 20 each are needed. Gynaecology is the only department meeting its requirement of 50 beds, while the ICU has just seven beds against a need of 20, leaving a gap of 13. Overall, out of 420 beds required, only 287 are functional, with 173 still lying vacant.
Additional Commissioner Pradeep Chandran said, “100 new beds have been added at Kamla Nehru Hospital as per NMC norms. These will be operational in the next few days.”
PMC Health Department Head Dr Nina Borade added, “As per NMC’s instructions, department-wise beds are being increased. A proposal has already been sent to the General Administration Department for increasing the manpower.”
