Mumbai News: Govandi Residents Urge BMC To Open Long-Delayed Health Post At Lotus Colony

Residents of Govandi have petitioned the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to start a closed health post in an area with the city's worst health indicators.

The health post at Lotus Colony, Govandi, was constructed almost two years ago. However, residents have been told that the building is awaiting electricity and water connections. Residents said the municipal health and fire departments are passing the buck, blaming each other for the delay. Dr Pradeep Kashale, M East medical officer of health, told this newspaper that electricity and water connections have been installed, and they are waiting for a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the municipal fire department.

R B Ghadge, the public information officer and the divisional fire officer for the area, said that the new section of the Shatabdi Hospital in the same ward was recently granted NOC. "So there is no reason why the NOC has not been given if they (municipal health department) have applied for clearance from the fire department. We are ready to help speed up the process," said Ghadge.

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Residents said that the delay has resulted in the denial of primary healthcare to thousands of residents. Recent studies indicate that the average life expectancy in the area is 39 years, the lowest in Mumbai. For comparison, India's current average life expectancy is 71 years, and 32 at the time of independence. Recent BMC statistics reveal that though the ward, with around eight lakh people, has around 6.5% of the city's population, it accounts for 9% of deaths related to respiratory illnesses and 16% of maternal mortality cases. A study by the Tata Institute of Social Studies said that child mortality in the ward is similar to Sub-Saharan Africa. The proportion of malnourished children is also the highest among all municipal wards of the city.

The ward houses the city's largest waste dumping ground at Deonar. Incineration of waste affects the air quality in the area. Mohsin Khan Pathan of Watavaran, a health and anti-pollution advocacy group, stated that a sample health screening of residents in August showed that 65% complained of chronic cough and almost all were exposed to air pollution around the clock. "There is constant exposure to dust and polluted air, which prevents healing of lungs," said Pathan, who added that though public health centres exist, they are inadequate for the large and growing population.

Advocate Abid Abbas Sayyed, who has been communicating with the BMC to open the health centre, stated that the delay in opening a completed public health dispensary in such a medically fragile and socio-economically vulnerable region is nothing but a public health emergency. "Citizens are left with no option but to travel long distances and incur unaffordable expenses merely to access basic treatment, thereby defeating the constitutional guarantee of the Right to Life and Health under Article 21," said Sayyed.

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Sayyed demanded an inquiry into the illogical delay in starting the health centre, revival of non-functional health facilities, and formulation of a special action plan for the area, given its high morbidity and mortality indicators.

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