The hospital has only one permanent resident doctorMembers of Malad Activists for Social Service (MASS) claim the Choksi Municipal Maternity Hospital on Marve Road is being neglected by the BMC.

Says Anthony Barreto, founder member, MASS, We were shocked to see the buildings dilapidated condition when we visited it last week. The plaster has fallen off, windowpanes are broken and there are a lot of cracks in the building. Columns of the structure are exposed in places.

The maternity home, which was constructed in 1973, has 40 beds. According to hospital staff, no major repairs have been carried out at the hospital since its inception. A family member of a patient admitted to the hospital says, The doors of the urinals are broken. Some of them have no lights. Some patients also complain that cats enter the hospital through the broken windows, eat their food and knock over their medicine bottles.

A veteran nurse at the hospital claims, Last month, a cement slab from the ceiling came crashing down just beside a pregnant woman. Fortunately, she suffered no injuries.

The hospital staff also complains of a shortage of beds. Patients from the municipal maternity home at Malvani are sent here for treatment because they have inadequate facilities. As a result, we always have more than 40 patients at a time, adds another staffer.

The hospital has only one permanent resident doctor, who has only a MBBS degree and not one in gynaecology. The doctor, Harshad Desai, admits that the hospital needs repairs but says he has done his best to maintain the facility despite limited resources.

Ive regularly informed the P-north maintenance department and local corporator about the need for repairs. But due to a lack of funds, we can only do patchwork, he says.

Shrikant Gaikwad, sub-engineer (maintenance) P-north, says Around Rs 2.5 lakh has been allocated for repairs. They will be carried out soon.

malad@mid-day.com