MUMBAI, Oct. 20 -- Shabnam Ansari (name changed) was prepped for surgery and wheeled into the operation theatre on three different occasions over 12 days. Yet her surgery for a fractured wrist remained pending as the anaesthesiologist failed to turn up on all three occasions. Frustrated, she now says she will never trust a civic-run hospital again. Shabnam was admitted at the Shatabdi Hospital in Govandi nearly two weeks ago. "When we first came in, there were no lab technicians, then the X-ray machine wasn't working. But it became really absurd when they didn't have an anaesthesiologist for the surgery. The doctors were waiting for one to turn up from Sion Hospital but they never did," Shabnam's son Javed told HT. "My mother keeps crying, asking me to take her out of here. But I work as a tailor and we can't afford private hospitals. What is the point of a municipal hospital if it can't provide us even basic care?" asks Javed. But it's not just Shatabdi Hospital. Crippling staff shortages in all 16 peripheral hospitals run by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) - from doctors to nurses, to x-ray and lab technicians and even housekeeping staff - have left patients unable to access even basic diagnostics. Sources say over 25% of posts are currently vacant across peripheral hospitals, in addition to hired employees failing to report to work. At the Deonar Maternity Hospital, an alarming 46% of posts are vacant, including gynaecologists and paediatricians. Here's another shocker - at some peripheral hospitals, ward boys scrub in for surgeries to assist doctors as nurses are absent. "We scrub in like doctors but I'm a housekeeping worker," one employee at Shatabdi Hospital, Govandi, confided in HT. "I've even handed surgical instruments to doctors during minor surgeries." He claimed he had also been administering ECGs, stitching wounds and plastering fractures for over eight years. When HT brought this to the attention of senior civic health officials, one official said, "If this is happening, action will be taken immediately as this is a serious matter." In October last year, the BMC scrapped 826 contractual positions across all 16 peripheral hospitals as they were unable to fill them. Following protests from staff who cited overwhelming workloads, the corporation partially rolled back its decision and decided to fill 339 posts. Most of them are yet to be filled. According to insiders and activists, the staffing crisis at civic peripheral hospitals has arisen due to the BMC's reliance on contractual hires, combined with its inability to fill permanent posts. The last permanent recruitment for doctors took place in 2020. "Most recent hires have been for civic dispensaries and primary health centres. Peripheral hospital postings always come last as most doctors prefer not to work here," said a doctor. Since 2016, there has been no permanent recruitment of lab technicians or paramedical staff, leaving most hospitals dependent on contractual employees. They leave mid-contract, miffed at delayed payments. "At the blood bank at Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivali, contractual staff work only short shifts, and the bank is shut at night. There just isn't enough staff to keep it running 24/7," said a staff member. At Kurla's Bhabha Hospital, patients waited hours for a simple sonography test due to lack of technicians. "I've been here all morning. First, no technician was available, then someone showed up. But there were over 30 people in line. It's exhausting," said one patient. One pregnant woman, Shabana Shah, 27, said she felt dizzy waiting for a routine check-up, as finding an early spot in line meaning skipping breakfast. "We waited four hours for a doctor to arrive." According to Abhay Shukla, national co-convener of the Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, "The lack of staffing and failure to recruit only strengthens the BMC's push to involve private players under its 'Civic Health Collaboration' model. With a health budget of over Rs.7,000 crore and being one of the country's richest municipal corporations, it shouldn't be difficult for the BMC to recruit doctors and staff." Many peripheral hospitals including VN Desai, Shatabdi (Kandivali and Govandi), and Rajawadi cater primarily to suburban patients from low-income groups who cannot afford private care. "Often, patients are forced to get lab tests at private facilities due to lack of facilities and staff at civic hospitals. The Deonar Maternity Home, for instance, operates without gynaecologists or paediatricians even though it is a maternity hospital. None of the patients there get the care they deserve; they're all referred to Sion Hospital or other major BMC hospitals," said Baban Thoke, member of the Aspatal Bachao, Nijikaran Hatao Kriti Samiti (Save Hospitals, Stop Privatisation). The staffing crisis is also hitting hospital employees, who are overworked and underpaid. "We have to wrap bodies, clean the hospital, and help nurses and yet we are not paid on time. There were two months this year when many contracts lapsed, and only 11 housekeeping staff were left for the entire hospital. We had to work day and night," said a staffer at Govandi's Shatabdi. Deputy municipal commissioner (health) Sharad Ughade, told HT, "We have allowed peripheral hospitals to recruit all contractual staff till March 2027. Since recruiting permanent staff is a long-drawn process, until those positions are filled - and we are in the process of doing so - contractual staff will work thoroughly at the peripheral hospitals."...