Three years on, Borivali’s civic hospital still lacks ICU and NICU facilities

The hospital, converted from ground-plus-two maternity home into a nine-storey structure, was meant to serve the burgeoning population of Borivali, estimated at 1.5 million. BMC had pitched it as a key decentralised hub to reduce pressure on tertiary hospitals and ensure swift medical intervention in the city’s western suburbs

Mumbai: Nearly three years after its inauguration at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) Krantijyoti Savitribai Phule Hospital in Borivali East remains without a functional Intensive Care Unit (ICU) or Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)—facilities that are vital for emergency and critical care.

Mumbai, India - May 18, 2025: A view of the Krantijyoti Savitribai Phule Hospital at Borivali in Mumbai, India, on Sunday, May 18, 2025. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

The hospital, converted from ground-plus-two maternity home into a nine-storey structure, was meant to serve the burgeoning population of Borivali, estimated at 1.5 million. BMC had pitched it as a key decentralised hub to reduce pressure on tertiary hospitals and ensure swift medical intervention in the city’s western suburbs.

But nearly three years on, this promise remains largely unfulfilled.

Despite the hospital’s scale and the designated spaces for both ICU and NICU facilities, neither unit is operational. As a result, patients in need of emergency care—particularly expectant mothers and critically ill newborns—are routinely referred to Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivali, about 5 km away.

“We have reserved floors, machines, and even layout plans for ICU and NICU wards. But there’s no sanctioned staff, and approvals are pending,” admitted a senior BMC official, requesting anonymity. “The urgency is well understood, but the process has been stalled for far too long.”

The gap has real and immediate consequences. Last month, 28-year-old Shweta Jadhav was rushed to the hospital during her third trimester due to sudden bleeding. Her husband, Pravin Jadhav, recalled the panic. “It was 1 am. They told us to go to Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivali West because they didn’t have an ICU. We had no ambulance, so we took an auto. Thankfully, everything turned out fine, but it could have ended very differently.”

The situation is compounded by the inadequacies of Bhagwati Hospital, Borivali’s only other major civic-run facility, which has long struggled with staff shortages and lacks the infrastructure to handle emergencies. This leaves residents with no choice but to travel several kilometres for urgent care—even as a modern, well-constructed hospital sits idle in their own neighbourhood.

Local health activists have criticised the BMC for abandoning the project post-inauguration. “Borivali has one of the highest population densities in Mumbai’s suburbs, yet we still don’t have a single functional ICU in a civic hospital,” said Priya Bane of the Arogya Hakk Parishad. “The BMC cut the ribbon and then simply moved on. What are residents supposed to do in an emergency?”

BMC sources say tenders have been floated to outsource ICU operations in several suburban hospitals, including Borivali. “We’re hopeful the ICU will be up and running in the coming months. The need is undeniable,” said a senior civic official. However, there is no confirmed launch date, nor an interim plan to manage critical cases locally.

Repeated attempts to contact the hospital’s medical superintendent, Dr Amit Kumar, went unanswered.