Mumbai’s healthcare system took a step towards improvement recently as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) appointed an assistant municipal commissioner (Health) for its four medical colleges. This move comes after a gap of 20 years and aims to alleviate the administrative workload on the medical staff and deans, allowing them to focus more on clinical and research work.
Prashant Sapkale, the assistant municipal commissioner of BMC’s G-North ward, has been given the additional charge of the AMC (health) and will be responsible for overseeing the administrative work at the medical colleges. Dr Sudhakar Shinde, additional municipal commissioner, BMC, stated, “Over many decades, the workload in our hospitals has gone up. With the enormous workload on the deans and medical staff, a need to have administrative support was felt.”
The appointment of the AMC will not only reduce the burden on the deans but also lead to better functioning of the hospitals. Dr Shinde added, “The appointment will allow the deans to concentrate more on the clinical and research work and will help in the better functioning of our hospitals.”
Sapkale will be based at KEM Hospital, where he will oversee the administrative work of all four medical colleges under BMC, namely KEM Hospital and Seth Gordhandas Sunderdas Medical College-Parel, LTMG Hospital and medical college-Sion, Topiwala National Medical College & B. Y. L. Nair Charitable Hospital-Mumbai Central, and HBT Medical College and Dr RN Cooper Municipal Hospital-Juhu.
In addition to providing administrative support, the AMC will assist in managing engineering work, resolving manpower and union-related issues, and ensuring sanitation and cleanliness is maintained. This appointment is also seen as a step towards expediting the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH) certification process for BMC hospitals.
Dr Avinash Supe, dean of KEM Hospital, welcomed the move, stating that it is essential to have an administrative person to handle HR and labor issues. He mentioned that the administrative post existed in the 90s but was later discontinued. Corporate hospitals have administrators and medical directors, emphasizing the need for similar administrative positions in medical colleges.
The BMC’s decision to appoint an assistant municipal commissioner (Health) for its medical colleges will undoubtedly improve the overall efficiency and functioning of these healthcare institutions. With administrative support in place, medical staff and deans can focus on their core responsibilities, ultimately benefiting patients and the overall healthcare system in Mumbai.