City hospitals can accommodate more beds now because the state government has removed the height restriction on construction of hospitals.
The government has approved the amendment in the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act, 2006, permitting hospitals to increase their heights from 30 metres to 45 metres. If a government authority or a charitable trust wants to construct a hospital with more than 45 metres of height, then they will have to seek permission from the urban development department.
The state government made this amendment in the on-going budget session on Monday late night. With this, the government or a trust can construct a hospital with more than 15 floors. Earlier, any authority could construct only a 10-storey hospital.
Amin Patel, Congress MLA from Mumbadevi, told dna that change in the Act will help in constructing more floors and this will result in hospitals adding more beds. "There is a huge shortage of beds in government hospitals. Most of the time patients are forced to sleep on the floor. An increase in the height of a building means more patients will be accommodated. No one should be deprived of medical benefits," said Patel.
Patel added that this decision will immediately benefit the state-run Sir JJ Group of Hospitals with its Rs630 crore revamp proposal and Borivli's Bhagwati Hospital as well. "Besides, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has also planned the expansion of Sion Hospital and King Edward Memorial Hospital. The Asian Heart Institute will also get a boost for its development. Moreover, these hospitals do have enough floor space index (FSI) to raise more floors," Patel said.
The government had imposed the height cap of 30 metres in 2011 after a fire at Kolkata's AMRI Hospital killed 89 people.
Patel said that he followed this issue for the past two years because many patients were suffering. "I received a lot of complaints regarding shortage of beds in hospitals. To cater to the growing demand, hospitals have to be expanded. In Mumbai city, there is shortage of space. So, hospitals will have to go vertical," added Patel.
