Illegal nursing homes turned into schools
4 nursing homes in Govandi have wound up operations after BMC issued them notices 15 days ago.
Four illegal nursing homes in Govandi have been converted into schools or storage rooms overnight after the BMC issued them notices as part of a wider crackdown on unregistered medical centres that hire unlicensed staff and administer faulty treatments.
In a matter of just two weeks, beds, doctors’ cabins and medical equipment have been removed from three of the four nursing homes, and benches and teaching boards have been moved in.
The owner of Munshi Nursing Home, previously a 20-bed medical facility, has rented out the premises to an Urdu school with classes from Std I to IV, while the proprietors of Saraswati Nursing Home and V Care have decided to open their own schools. The fourth centre is being used as a footwear warehouse.
There are 28 unregistered nursing homes in M East Ward, which includes Shivaji Nagar, Govandi and Mankhurd. The BMC has filed cases against all the facilities.
They came under the scanner after a 25-year-old woman died because of excessive bleeding after delivering ahealthy baby boy at Munshi Nursing Home on September 15 last year.
According to the police complaint filed by the family, a nurse pretending to be a doctor assisted in Saira Bano’s delivery at the nursing home. The nurse, Anita Sawant, was arrested and booked for cheating and causing death by negligence.
It later also emerged that the doctor in charge of the facility was actually a bachelor of Unani medicine who had also assisted in childbirths. A charge sheet has been filed in the case.
Now, the place has been rented out. “I rented the place from owner Vakil Khan and started an Urdu school on June 15. I was not aware that the structure is illegal and that the owner is facing a court case,” said Mubarak Husain Khan, the head of the school.
Daffodil English Primary School now functions on the premises of Saraswati Nursing Home. “There is a court case against us, so we decided to shut the nursing home and open a school,” said a staff member, who didn’t want to be named.
Dr Sandeep Gaikwad, medical officer of M East Ward, said that the BMC had issued notices and filed court cases against all 28 illegal nursing homes. Of these, six have wound up operations and opened schools instead,” he said.
“We will now have to see if these schools have permission from the education authorities.”
Dr Gaikwad added that most of the targeted nursing homes had been constructed illegally and orders were issued in the past to demolish them.
Four illegal nursing homes in Govandi have been converted into schools or storage rooms overnight after the BMC issued them notices as part of a wider crackdown on unregistered medical centres that hire unlicensed staff and administer faulty treatments.
In a matter of just two weeks, beds, doctors’ cabins and medical equipment have been removed from three of the four nursing homes, and benches and teaching boards have been moved in.
Munshi Nursing Home, Saraswati Nursing Home, V Care and Shivaji Bapurao Shenge Centre were all issued notices 15 days ago.
The owner of Munshi Nursing Home, previously a 20-bed medical facility, has rented out the premises to an Urdu school with classes from Std I to IV, while the proprietors of Saraswati Nursing Home and V Care have decided to open their own schools. The fourth centre is being used as a footwear warehouse.
There are 28 unregistered nursing homes in M East Ward, which includes Shivaji Nagar, Govandi and Mankhurd. The BMC has filed cases against all the facilities.
They came under the scanner after a 25-year-old woman died because of excessive bleeding after delivering ahealthy baby boy at Munshi Nursing Home on September 15 last year.
According to the police complaint filed by the family, a nurse pretending to be a doctor assisted in Saira Bano’s delivery at the nursing home. The nurse, Anita Sawant, was arrested and booked for cheating and causing death by negligence.
It later also emerged that the doctor in charge of the facility was actually a bachelor of Unani medicine who had also assisted in childbirths. A charge sheet has been filed in the case.
Now, the place has been rented out. “I rented the place from owner Vakil Khan and started an Urdu school on June 15. I was not aware that the structure is illegal and that the owner is facing a court case,” said Mubarak Husain Khan, the head of the school.
Daffodil English Primary School now functions on the premises of Saraswati Nursing Home. “There is a court case against us, so we decided to shut the nursing home and open a school,” said a staff member, who didn’t want to be named.
Dr Sandeep Gaikwad, medical officer of M East Ward, said that the BMC had issued notices and filed court cases against all 28 illegal nursing homes. Of these, six have wound up operations and opened schools instead,” he said.
“We will now have to see if these schools have permission from the education authorities.”
Dr Gaikwad added that most of the targeted nursing homes had been constructed illegally and orders were issued in the past to demolish them.
