Mother and Child Hospital in Belapur starts functioning after 5 years

Built around five years ago, the municipal corporation’s Mother and Child Hospital (MCH) at Belapur is finally functional.

Built around five years ago, the municipal corporation’s Mother and Child Hospital (MCH) at Belapur is finally functional.

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The new NMMC hospitals at Airoli, Nerul and Belapur were inaugurated before the last Assembly elections in 2014. Only the outpatient department was functional all these years.

NMMC had claimed that the MCH will be operational initially, but due to lack of facilities, they had been functioning more OPD centres. Residents have had to go to NMMC hospital in Vashi.

The 50-bed hospital at Belapur was inaugurated on August 12, but only the OPD was functioning. The civic officials had some time back stated that the MCH unit at the hospital will be functional soon, as it had been equipped with the requisite infrastructure. However, the lack of gynaecologist had delayed it.

Recently, however, two wards for mother and child ie NICU have become operational at the hospital with the first child being delivered on October 4, 5 years after the hospital was inaugurated.

R Pote, chief of MCH, Belapur, said: “We started the Belapur MCH a few days ago. On October 4, a woman delivered a baby.”

Social worker Afsar Imam said, “The MCH at Airoli and Nerul are operational on and off. The buildings are deteriorating due to neglect and non-use of the facility.”