Mumbai: BMC introduces minimum standards for uniforms, attendance and housekeeping in civic hospitals

BMC headquarters at Fort. Pic/Satej Shinde

Mumbai's civic hospitals are set to follow a common set of administrative and operational standards, with the BMC introducing "Minimum Essential Standards" covering everything from staff uniforms and biometric attendance to housekeeping, procurement and inter-hospital reviews.

A directive issued by the Office of the Director (Medical Education & Major Hospitals) earlier this month calls for the measures to be implemented across municipal medical colleges and hospitals.

The stated aim is to bring greater consistency in professional discipline, cleanliness, infection control, staff accountability and procurement, while ensuring eligible patients receive government-scheme benefits and hospitals learn from one another.

‘This is about consistency, not new rules'

The move follows directions from Additional Municipal Commissioner (City and Health) Prajakta Verma-Lavangare. "The emphasis is not on introducing entirely new rules but on ensuring that existing administrative requirements are followed consistently, monitored, and documented."

She said there was no fixed deadline for implementing each standard and that the process would be continuous, with daily monitoring. "Each hospital has a WhatsApp group of which I am a part. Every day, they put updates on these lines." The BMC is also encouraging deans to review one another's hospitals and provide feedback on common areas of functioning.

"The idea is not to put pressure on already-under-pressure medical institutions, but just to ensure that the process becomes easier for them and there is more discipline adopted. Eventually, the larger benefit is for all the patients that will come in," Verma-Lavangare said.

The minimum standards

Area What the directive says
Uniforms and ID Aprons/uniforms, and identity cards mandatory for staff while on duty
Attendance Full-time staff to remain present throughout duty hours; biometric attendance for all staff, including contractual personnel
Government schemes Ensure eligible patients receive benefits under available government schemes
Cleanliness Remove unwanted articles and scrap; conduct regular cleanliness drives
Housekeeping Two inspections every shift, with documented escalation
Tendering Begin the tendering process at least six months before an existing tender expires
Proposals Proposals above R5 lakh and below R75 lakh to be used judiciously and only for patient-care activities
Peer review Deans to visit assigned partner hospitals, assess functioning and identify areas for improvement