BMC set to take over Aarey Hospital for 30 years

On Wednesday, the BMC’s improvement committee deliberated on the takeover proposal, which said the state government will hand over the existing hospital building and attached staff quarters to the civic body free-of-cost under a long-term management agreement

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has proposed to take over operations of the state-run Aarey Hospital in Goregaon for a period of 30 years, with an eye on improving healthcare access for tribal residents of the forested Aarey region.

BMC set to take over Aarey Hospital for 30 years

On Wednesday, the BMC’s improvement committee deliberated on the takeover proposal, which said the state government will hand over the existing hospital building and attached staff quarters to the civic body free-of-cost under a long-term management agreement. The BMC will be responsible for all operational expenses, maintenance, taxes, utility charges, licences and liabilities associated with the facility during the 30-year-period, the proposal said.

The move is in pursuance with the BMC’s submissions before the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission earlier this year, when it said that administrative formalities for the transfer of Aarey Hospital had largely been completed and that approval from the civic body’s improvement committee was being sought under section 90 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888.

Aarey Hospital currently provides outpatient services, but civic authorities believe it can be upgraded and expanded significantly under municipal management.

As per the proposal moved before the improvement committee, the existing hospital building measures 1,257.90 square metres and the adjoining quarters measure 674.30 square metres, together covering 1,932.20 square metres. While running the hospital, the BMC will be required to provide affordable healthcare services to poor and needy citizens while ensuring continued medical services for employees of the dairy development department and workers associated with the dairy colony, the proposal said. The state government will retain ownership of the property, and the building and residential quarters will have to be returned to it at the end of the 30-year-period.

Civic officials said that since the hospital structure was already there, healthcare services could be enhanced without undertaking any major construction. Only repairs and necessary upgrades would be needed before commencing operations, they said.

Since the property falls within the eco-sensitive zone surrounding the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, any future redevelopment or structural modifications would require approvals from relevant environmental authorities.

After deliberating on the proposal, the improvement committee referred it back to the BMC administration for necessary modifications. An approval from the committee will enable the BMC to begin upgrading healthcare services in one of Mumbai’s most environmentally sensitive and underserved regions.