Leadership Change at Dr. R.N. Cooper Hospital

Appointment of New Acting Dean

Mumbai’s BMC-run Dr. R.N. Cooper Hospital is poised to appoint a new acting dean within the upcoming week, marking the second leadership transition in recent months. This decision follows an incident last week where three duty doctors were assaulted in the hospital’s casualty department.

Details of the Leadership Reshuffle

The leadership change was confirmed during a meeting between civic officials and cabinet minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha on Wednesday. Dr. Neelam Andrade, who currently heads BYL Nair Dental Hospital and was previously named acting dean, stated, “We will be appointing someone who will be able to attend to Cooper Hospital full-time.”

Recent Incidents of Violence

According to Medic Helpline, a troubling incident occurred at the hospital when a Casualty Medical Officer, a resident doctor from the Medicine department, and an intern were assaulted in the casualty ward by relatives of a deceased patient.

Investigation into Former Dean

The Times of India reports that the hospital is unable to appoint a permanent dean due to an ongoing investigation involving former dean Dr. Sudhir Medhekar. He faces allegations concerning irregularities in contracts for multipurpose workers, which he has denied, claiming he is being targeted for exposing corruption within the health department. Currently, he serves as the academic dean without administrative powers.

Minister’s Inspection and Criticism

The decision to appoint a new acting dean followed Minister Lodha’s inspection of KEM Hospital on Monday, where he criticized delays in essential services, including MRI access, long outpatient queues, and the absence of an online registration system. These issues have persisted across all four BMC-run medical college hospitals in recent years, largely due to a workforce shortage.

Addressing Hospital Challenges

Despite Minister Lodha’s visit, senior doctors at the hospital assert that the core challenges facing the facility remain unaddressed. Although not all questions were answered post-meeting, MLA Ameet Satam indicated that measures would be implemented to resolve the medication shortages at KEM Hospital within 15 days. A senior BMC official noted that all hospitals retain the authority to make local purchases based on their needs. Additionally, plans are underway to establish ten new registration centers at KEM Hospital to streamline the registration process.