India, April 3 -- As the BMC moves to partially privatise Borivali's Bhagwati Hospital under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, its own hospitals are grappling with a crippling staff crisis with four in every ten Class IV roles lying vacant, alleged the Municipal Mazdoor Union.

The civic-run hospitals' employees have slammed the decision, warning that over 40 percent of essential Class IV positions-comprising ayahs, ward boys, sweepers, sanitation workers and lab attendants-remain vacant across major municipal hospitals, compromising basic patient care. "Instead of strengthening public health infrastructure and hiring staff to fill these critical vacancies, the BMC is prioritising privatisation. This could severely affect the qu...