Medical services hit by protest, hosps keep beds ready

Protests for Maratha reservation disrupted services at three Mumbai hospitals, causing delays for doctors and patients amid traffic issues.

Mumbai: Services at three government hospitals in south Mumbai – Gokuldas Tejpal (GT) Hospital, St George’s Hospital and JJ Hospital – were hampered on Friday due to the ongoing protest at Azad Maidan seeking reservation for Marathas.

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil began his indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan on Friday (Raju Shinde/ HT Photo)

At JJ Hospital, many doctors who were unaware of the scale of the protest took taxis to reach the hospital in the morning, only to be stuck in traffic for at least 40 minutes to an hour. Doctors already on duty held fort until they managed to reach the hospital and relieved them.

A similar situation unfolded at GT Hospital, where several senior doctors living in the suburbs could not reach on time for critical hospital needs. Highways were also blocked, worsening delays for staff and patients alike.

“The ongoing rally has disrupted all routes, which has significantly hampered movement for many doctors. Nobody had prior intimation that the rally would continue beyond a day,” said Dr P Ushashri, a resident doctor at GT Hospital.

Anticipating such disruptions, JJ Hospital had readied an emergency ward and kept doctors from both medical and surgical wings on call throughout the day.

“We have informed our staff to keep wards ready and beds available in case they are needed,” said Dr Ajay Bhandarwar, dean, JJ Hospital.

Since GT Hospital was closest to Azad Maidan, it would be handling a bulk of the patients, he added.

A senior doctor from GT Hospital said around six patients were treated on Friday for dizziness, weakness, and other travel-related problems.

“Two patients with fever were also brought in,” the doctor said.

At St George’s Hospital, six emergency beds and four nursing home beds were set aside to manage potential patients. The hospital’s outpatient department treated 30-40 patients during the day, most reporting headaches, dizziness, and exhaustion.

“To manage the potential surge, we have readied a 30-bed disaster management ward and kept all senior and junior doctors on call. Nursing staff, too, has been deployed in rotation to cover both wards and emergencies,” said Dr Vinayak Sawardekar, medical superintendent, St George’s Hospital.