Civic-run KEM hires a pvt firm to maintain emergency ward

The pilot project will benefit patients who are otherwise exposed to several infections in an emergency ward due to an unclean environment.

“If this plan succeeds, we will replicate the idea to other departments. Since toilets in hospitals are also found dirty very often, a private company can take care of maintaining it as well,” said BMC’s additional municipal commissioner, Sanjay Deshmukh.

Serious concerns were raised over KEM hospital’s cleanliness and hygiene since October this year, following third year resident doctor Shruti Khobragade’s death due to dengue. After her death, breeding sites of mosquito were found by the insecticide team in her hostel building and hospital premises. Resident doctors had then requested improvements in the working and living conditions at the hospital.

Currently, the washroom and toilets in civic-run hospitals are cleaned two to three times in a day. The massive number of people using it, however, requires hourly cleaning. According to the contract, BVG will handle even the maintenance of the drainage and bathrooms, including plumbing, in the emergency ward, with ‘quality’ disinfectant and cleaning products.

The BMC is also under the process of handing over the 21-storey building and hostel premises of KEM hospital to BVG for maintenance, which will cover an area of one lakh-square-feet. But an official nod on the proposal is yet to be received by BVG.

“This is a trial project. We will review their standards of maintaining the area by the end of three months,” said Dr Suhasini Nagda, director of tertiary hospitals and medical education, BMC.

tabassum.barnagarwala@expressindia.com