KEM mishap: One month on, BMC yet to hire CEOs for 4 hospitals

Almost a month after the fire at King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital on November 7, in which a two-month-old sustained injuries and later died, the Brihanmumbai

Almost a month after the fire at King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital on November 7, in which a two-month-old sustained injuries and later died, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is yet to hire permanent chief executive officers (CEOs) for the four major civic hospitals to manage their administrative operations.

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After the mishap, BMC on November 19, had decided to appoint CEOs for KEM Hospital, Parel; Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, Sion; Dr RN Cooper Municipal General Hospital, Vile Parle and BYL Nair Hospital, Mumbai Central, to prevent similar incidents in the future.

“Earlier, we had decided to hire MBA graduates, as they would have an expertise in managerial work. But as many corporators opposed the idea, we have now decided to only hire doctors who are experienced in managing a hospital or retired deputy deans for the post,” said Dr Ramesh Bharmal, director of the four hospitals. BMC will now publish a fresh advertisement regarding the posts.

On November 19, BMC had appointed four ward officers as the interim CEOs of these hospitals. One of them said that the additional responsibility is adding to their work pressure. “I am working for more than 14 hours every day due to the additional work profile now. Every morning, I have to visit the hospital to check the documents and for inspection. This is too much for us to manage,” he said.