MW Desai, Shatabdi hosps turn away patients needing stitches, ECGs

At the MW Desai Hospital in Malad, patients who required simple stitches were referred to a higher centre, while at the Shatabdi hospital in Kandivali, ECG services have been unavailable for at least three days

Mumbai: Essential medical services have been disrupted at two peripheral hospitals under the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) this week due to shortage of staff and doctors shirking from performing assigned duties.

MW Desai, Shatabdi hosps turn away patients needing stitches, ECGs

At the Manohar Waman (MW) Desai Hospital in Malad, at least two patients who required simple stitches were referred to a higher centre, while at the Bharatratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Municipal General Hospital in Kandivali, better known as Shatabdi hospital, Electrocardiogram (ECG) services have been unavailable for at least three days, affecting outpatient services and those awaiting surgery.

A 22-year-old man who visited the MW Desai Hospital in the second week of November seeking treatment for a hand injury said he was referred to a higher centre although he only required sutures. This was despite the hospital having a functional surgery department and MBBS doctors being posted in the casualty section.

“The doctors told me they cannot do stitches and asked me to go to another hospital,” the 22-year-old patient told Hindustan Times, requesting anonymity.

Another 50-year-old man who also required sutures for a hand injury said he too was turned away from the hospital.

“The hospital does not have a permanent paramedical person responsible for suturing,” a hospital staffer said, requesting anonymity. “As per rules, junior doctors can also suture wounds, but they often avoid taking up the procedure. There should be strict enforcement of rules pertaining to duties of doctors.”

On average, the MW Desai Hospital gets at least 4-5 cases requiring sutures every day, the staffer said. “This week, all such cases were referred to higher centres,” he noted.

A senior official at the hospital, however, said the situation had been rectified.

“I have instructed all doctors to conduct suturing and other practices regularly,” the official said, requesting anonymity.

At the Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivali, ECG services have been unavailable for at least three days, doctors and hospital staff told HT. The hospital administers around 30 ECGs per day on average, they said.

Chief medical superintendent Chandrakant Pawar had, on November 4, 2025, issued a notice to all BMC hospitals, saying only ECG technicians were allowed to administer the procedure. This was after the state human rights commission imposed a fine of ₹12 lakh on BMC after finding that untrained staff such as ward boys and sweepers were performing ECGs on patients at the Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya Shatabdi Hospital in Govandi.

A doctor at the Shatabdi hospital in Kandivali said the disruption in ECG services was due to vacant technician posts, low pay, and no enforcement of guidelines on provision of medical services.

Dr Ajay Gupta, medical superintendent of the hospital, too referred to staff shortage.

“We have two ECG technician posts but only one technician on rolls. That person is on maternity leave, which we could not have refused. So, there is no one to administer ECGs for regular cases,” Dr Gupta told HT.

Casualty and emergency ECGs were being administered by medical officers, but routine cases requiring ECG were being referred to nearby hospitals, the medical superintendent noted.

Dr Gupta also said that while recruitment for permanent positions was paused, it was difficult to fill contractual posts due to low salary and high qualification requirements.

“ECG technicians must have an MSc degree and undergo an ECG course, but the pay is around ₹18,000-20,000 per month. People feel the salary does not match the qualifications, so we are not getting applicants,” he said.

Chief superintendent Chandrakant Pawar did not respond to calls or texts from HT.