JJ resident docs sound alarm over hostel crisis

Due to a severe accommodation crunch, residents are often crammed together into suffocating on-call rooms, several are forced to bathe in ward washrooms, lack of hygiene has compromised their health, and it is only a matter of time before their performance begins to suffer, they warn

MUMBAI: Resident doctors at the government-run JJ Hospital and Grant Government Medical College are demanding urgent expansion of hostel facilities. Due to a severe accommodation crunch, residents are often crammed together into suffocating on-call rooms, several are forced to bathe in ward washrooms, lack of hygiene has compromised their health, and it is only a matter of time before their performance begins to suffer, they warn.

This situation has persisted since 2021, when the government expanded JJ Hospital’s post-graduate intake but did not increase hostel facilities. Previously, for over 250 residents, there were 300 rooms present on campus.

Currently, JJ Hospital has over 800 junior residents across three batches of MD-MS programmes, more than 150 super-speciality residents, and about 100 bonded residents.

Across the hostels at JJ, GT and St George hospitals, along with the nursing hostel and a few other facilities, there are only about 400 rooms available for residents. Of this, in JJ Hospital alone, there are only 300 rooms available, most of them singularly occupied.

Every year, only final-year residents appearing for exams are given single rooms, while the rest are asked to share with two or three colleagues. In the nursing hostel, 38 rooms house over 150 residents, representatives of the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) say. Similarly, at GT Hospital and St George Hospital, five to seven residents are packed into each room in the hostels.

Many continue to stay in makeshift arrangements such as on-call rooms after long shifts, while others are forced to rent private accommodation at their own expense.

A resident doctor described the situation thus: “Before I was transferred to a peripheral hospital two months ago, I was living in the on-call room with ten others. There were only four beds, so we slept in shifts, barely getting three hours of rest each. We used ward washrooms to bathe. Constant lack of hygiene has given us skin problems, and after 48 to 72-hour duties, our mental health is breaking down. We are hardly able to function.”

On August 23, representatives of the JJ unit of MARD met Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to push for the construction of a new post-graduate hostel and immediate relief measures.

“The government had assured us that the issue would be addressed, but we are still awaiting concrete confirmation. At St George, where women residents have been allotted two floors, there are constant leakages and ongoing renovations that make living difficult. In the GT Hospital’s hostel, residents have repeatedly been asked to vacate, as the space is now being earmarked for senior residents who also lack accommodation,” said Dr P Ushashri, general secretary of JJ MARD.

In on-call rooms, men and women are crammed together, and there is no space for them to change either, say doctors. The situation has worsened as admissions for the new academic year are underway, adding pressure to already overcrowded hostels across JJ, GT and St George hospitals, they add.

“We have raised this issue several times, but there has been no relief. Assurances are given during strikes, yet the situation on-ground remains unchanged. With new students joining soon, accommodation will only get more strained. The government needs to prioritise expanding infrastructure alongside student intake. If there is no progress by October, residents may be compelled to consider protesting again,” said Dr Mahesh Thadke, president of JJ MARD.

Existing hostels, residents say, are in a state of disrepair. Ceilings leak during the monsoon, toilets are shared by multiple batches, and some buildings lack drinking water. Doctors have reported cases of dengue, malaria and even tuberculosis among residents, which they attribute to overcrowding and unhygienic conditions.

This situation has persisted since 2021, when the government expanded JJ Hospital’s post-graduate intake but did not increase hostel facilities. Previously, for over 250 residents, there were 300 rooms present on campus.

“Before admitting new batches, the government must ensure basic living conditions. The National Medical Commission has clear guidelines on resident hostels, but implementation is missing. We are pressing for both long-term hostel construction and immediate temporary arrangements,” Thadke said.

The administration has also pushed for construction of two new hostels on the premises, said the dean of JJ Hospital, Dr Ajay Bhandarwar.

“The process to sanction these two hostels is ongoing with the government, but it will take time. We even tried to rent a property. However, due to the payment schedule from the government not aligning with landlords, that is not working out either. We are trying to fast-track hostel construction on the premises,” Bhandarwar added.