17 patients died in 24 hours at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital in Thane’s Kalwa; state-level panel to probe deaths

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital in Kalwa serves as the sole tertiary-level medical facility in the city and caters to a substantial influx of patients, particularly from surrounding suburbs and neighbouring districts.

The Kalwa hospital records a huge footfall of daily patients from across Thane and Palghar districts. Most of the patients come to the hospital with severe conditions and this pushes up the fatality rate. On average, the hospital records 10 deaths daily. This is similar to what KEM hospital in neighbouring Mumbai reports – the hospital recorded 6,172 deaths in 2022, an average of around 16 deaths per day.

“On some days, depending on the condition of admitted patients, the number of deaths may rise. So, it is a natural phenomenon. But it has been turned into a political issue,” a doctor from the Kalwa hospital said.

The Opposition Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) slammed Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who hails from Thane and has been controlling the TMC for more than 20 years now. Party MLA Jitendra Awhad had visited the hospital two days ago amid complaints of an increasing number of patient deaths at the hospital. On Sunday too, Awhad visited the hospital and met the families of the deceased patients.

NCP state president Jayant Patil slammed Shinde saying that while the CM was busy organising ‘Shasan Aplya Dari’ programmes – government schemes are delivered at citizens’ doorsteps – he seemed to have ignored his hometown. “Hospital lacks medical facilities, it has no doctors, there is a shortage of staff. It naturally brings limitations to the treatment of patients and common people suffer and are losing their lives. The government must look into it,” said Patil.

Awhad said that the administration spent Rs 400-500 crore on painting and interiors but has not improved facilities here. “Are the poor meant to be dead? The administration has no shame, it is facing a shortage of staff but nobody is ready to accept the responsibility,” he said.

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The NCP was joined by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), which alleged that the municipal commissioner and hospital administration were responsible for the deaths. “Patients are left to die here. This must be stopped. We will seek answers from the commissioner tomorrow,” said Avinash Jadhav, Thane chief of the MNS. Jadhav said that the Kalwa hospital was facing a heavy load of patients since the civil hospital had been closed.