Three years past deadline, JJ Hospital’s super-speciality expansion remains in limbo due to lack of occupation certificate

The foundation stone for the project was laid in 2017, with the new facility originally expected to become operational by December 2023. However, construction delays that began during the Covid-19 pandemic have continued well beyond the scheduled completion date

MUMBAI: Nearly three years after it was originally scheduled to open, the ambitious super-speciality expansion of the state-run Sir JJ Hospital remains incomplete, with pending construction work, no Occupation Certificate (OC) and uncertainty over staffing continuing to delay the project. The wait has left one of the state’s busiest public hospitals struggling to expand its services despite a steady influx of patients.

Mumbai, India - Sept. 28, 2026: Site of super speciality building at JJ Hospital, in Mumbai, India, on Monday, September 28, 2026. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/Hindustan Times) (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo)

Spread across 44 acres in the heart of Mumbai, JJ Hospital has 1,352 beds, including 250 ICU beds, and receives more than 3,000 patients at its outpatient departments (OPDs) every day. The proposed expansion, comprising four wings, was intended to strengthen its capacity to provide advanced medical care and ease the burden on its existing facilities.

The foundation stone for the project was laid in 2017, with the new facility originally expected to become operational by December 2023. However, construction delays that began during the Covid-19 pandemic have continued well beyond the scheduled completion date.

Although the external structures of the buildings have largely been completed, considerable work remains before the hospital can begin using them. Wings A and B are nearing completion, but internal work, including the installation of lifts and escalators, is still pending. The hospital is also awaiting mandatory fire safety clearances.

These facilities are particularly important as the hospital plans to accommodate outpatient departments on the lower floors of the new buildings, making lifts and escalators essential for patients, especially those with limited mobility. A senior official associated with the project said repeated assurances about completion had done little to inspire confidence. “Though the hospital was set to be ready by December this year, we have seen quite a few delayed Decembers, and so we are not sure when we will finally be able to move into this facility,” the official said.

Even after the remaining work is completed, the hospital cannot begin operations without an Occupation Certificate (OC), said dean Dr Ajay Bhandarwar. “Unless we get the Occupation Certificate, we cannot shift in,” he told HT.

The project has also encountered another setback: restrictions on the permissible height of the new buildings have forced the hospital to scale down its original plans. “Initially, we proposed 20-storey buildings, but managed to get permission for only ten-storey buildings. This curtails our plans to accommodate additional facilities within the new complex,” Bhandarwar said.

According to the dean, the hospital had hoped to use some of the additional floors to accommodate resident doctors, who are already facing a shortage of residential facilities.

“We have about 50 medical undergraduates and 300 postgraduates joining every year, and finding accommodation for them has been a struggle. Had we received permission for a few additional floors, we could have accommodated them in the new wings,” he said.

With that possibility now ruled out, the hospital will have to propose a separate residential building, a process that would require fresh administrative approvals and additional expenditure.

Meanwhile, the hospital is also seeking to reclaim around 10,000 sq ft of space in its heritage premises currently occupied by the JJ Mahanagar Blood Bank, which it hopes to use for its expansion plans.