Mumbai: Nearly 250 resident doctors from Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)-run KEM Hospital (Parel) and BYL Nair Hospital (Mumbai Central), are likely to be homeless soon.
They have been living in a Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) building in Dadar (East) since early 2020. They were allocated this space in the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, to avoid the spread of the virus in overcrowded hostel dormitories.
MHADA has served them several eviction notices, the latest was on October 9, with a two-day deadline to vacate the premises. They have been struggling to find suitable accommodation since then and met several authorities to buy time. However, on Monday, their electricity and water connections were cut off.
MHADA officials said the notice was served as it needed the buildings to accommodate people affected by the BDD chawl redevelopment project.
Dr Sachin Pattiwar, president of KEM’s unit of Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors, said, “We had been asked to vacate this building several times in the past. We got some reprieve when we approached Aaditya Thackeray in December 2021. Thackeray, the then cabinet minister in the state government, had intervened, after which we were allowed to stay here. In another discussion in May 2022, we were assured of this space till March 2023.”
Resident doctors pointed out that despite repeated eviction notices from MHADA, BMC had failed to make alternative arrangements, which has led to this crisis.
“We are under a great deal of stress and running from one official to another to confirm our new accommodation, alongside continuing our medical duties,” said a resident doctor.
The hostels of both hospitals are unable to accommodate the harried doctors. While KEM’s hostel can house 900 residents, there are over 1400 occupying the space. Each dormitory is supposed to have three people but many have between five and six.
The MHADA accommodation was sought for the doctors to avoid overcrowding at the hostels and maintain social distance. Currently, 130 doctors from KEM Hospital and 120 from Nair Hospital are staying here.
On Monday, the doctors met MHADA officials and even the chief minister, who have assured a quick resolution of the issue.
A high ranking MHADA official said the building was given to BMC temporarily, as there was stay on shifting people to alternate accommodations at that time. “However, it is our property and we need to move ahead with our projects. It includes providing alternate accommodation to people whose houses have been taken by us for reconstruction,” he said.
Dr Sangeeta Ravat, dean, KEM Hospital, said the new hostel building, in the hospital’s premises, will be completed in two years. “Meanwhile, we are trying to move some of the resident doctors to the old hostel in Nair Dental Hospital and the undergraduate students in the premises of Seven Hills Hospital, in Andheri. We are also looking at other accommodations at Currey Road and Byculla as well,” she said.
Dr Pravin Rathi, dean of Nair Hospital, added, several buildings in the vicinity of the hospital were being identified to accommodate the resident doctors as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, as Dr Neelam Andrade, director of the four civic-run hospitals, in the city, assured that residents would be able to continue to stay in the in the same building, resident doctors were not easily calmed. As a senior resident doctor said, “We are not kept in the loop of the new developments. All we know is, there are a lot of us who might have to focus on this issue instead of our mandated duties.”