Maharashtra’s menopause clinics face delays at Mumbai public hospitals

Patients line up outside the menopause clinic at Bhabha Hospital in Bandra West for consultation. Pics/RITIKA GONDHALEKAR

The Maharashtra government's plan to introduce dedicated menopause clinics across public hospitals is facing on-ground hurdles, with several peripheral facilities in Mumbai yet to operationalise the service. While civic health officials claim clinics have been launched in maternity homes and hospitals, a mid-day ground report found otherwise. "We have informed all hospitals about the directive. Implementation is their responsibility," said Dr Varsha Puri, deputy executive health officer.

The hurdles

Hospital heads, however, pointed to multiple challenges - a lack of gynaecology departments, infrastructure gaps, and no clear operational guidelines - that were slowing progress. Some said menopause care is already being offered within existing services, making separate clinics seem redundant for now. "We do not have a functional gynaecology ward yet. Once the new multispecialty building is ready, we can start the clinic," said Dr Nitiraj Mane of Bhagwati Hospital.

Dr Rajeswari Khyade

Dr Rajusingh Rathod, MT Agarwal Hospital, added that their gynaecology department will begin in the next few months, after which the menopause OPD will follow. Dr Bharti Rajulwala, Rajawadi Hospital, said, "The idea is to give more focused attention to women experiencing menopausal symptoms, so that conditions like ovarian cancer can be detected early. As we have a fully functional gynaecology department, we already provide all services from consultation to screenings and surgeries. So far, we haven't received any communication from the head office to establish a separate menopause clinic. Even if we do get one, we do not need to specifically set it up. The only thing is that we will have to keep dedicated OPD hours only for menopause cases." Officials from KEM, Sion, Nair and Cooper hospitals echoed similar concerns, pointing to a gap between policy announcement and on-ground readiness.

The exception

Bhabha Hospital in Bandra is the only peripheral hospital to roll out a dedicated menopause clinic, seeing 70-80 patients in two months. "The count should have been more. However, there is no awareness at all about such a facility being started at government hospitals, that too for free. These patients, we also had to first tell them about the facility, then convince them to take a check-up and only then did they agree," said
Dr Rajeswari Khyade, senior consultant - OB-GYN.

Facilities include

>> Psychological counselling
>> Pap smear
>> Bone health check-up
>> Breast screening
>> Blood tests (CBC, LFT, lipid, kidney, diabetes)
>> USG abdomen and pelvis
>> Medicines (vitamins, calcium)
>> Referrals for further treatment
>> OPD hours: Wednesday,
11 am to 1 pm

Existing services

While public hospitals are only now moving towards structured menopause care, private hospitals have been offering dedicated services for nearly five years. One such example is Reliance Hospital's specialised facilities, which provide comprehensive screening, early diagnosis and management of menopause-related conditions under one roof.

Facilities at Reliance Hospital

>> Necessary scans, screening tests, blood tests, and sonography
>> Pap smear & pelvic and abdominal ultrasound; colposcopy if required
>> Mammography
>> Osteoporosis screening
>> Colorectal examination
>> Urinary bladder studies
>> Neurological examination
>> Correction of vitamin D, B12 and folic acid deficiencies