The outpatient services will operate every Monday and Thursday from 1 PM to 3 PM at Hindu Hriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray Medical College and Cooper Hospital.
Pic/BMC
In a first for Mumbai’s western suburbs, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has launched a dedicated Palliative Care Outpatient Department (OPD) at Dr R. N. Cooper Municipal General Hospital. The initiative aims to provide specialised, free-of-cost care to patients suffering from chronic and life-threatening illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, and other non-communicable diseases.
The outpatient services will operate every Monday and Thursday from 1 PM to 3 PM at Hindu Hriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray Medical College and Cooper Hospital. Up to 50 patients can be treated daily, with services offered to both walk-in patients and those referred from public or private hospitals and clinics.
The facility was inaugurated in the presence of Dr. Sudhir Medhekar, Dean of Cooper Hospital. The event was graced by Dr. Shailesh Mohite, Dean of Topiwala National Medical College and B.Y.L. Nair Charitable Hospital, and Dr. Armida Fernandez, founder of Romila Palliative Care and Sneha Foundation.
A multidisciplinary team comprising doctors, nurses, and counsellors will lead the service. Along with in-hospital care, the team will also conduct home visits for patients post-discharge, based on individual needs. Around 5–10% of long-term illness cases will receive continued follow-up care from expert physicians.
The focus of the service is to manage pain, control symptoms, and improve the quality of life for patients with illnesses such as cancer, stroke, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and heart, kidney, and lung-related ailments. The initiative also includes wound care, emotional counselling, social support, and spiritual care for both patients and caregivers.
Dean Dr. Sudhir Medhekar urged citizens to make use of the free service and emphasized its importance in holistic patient care. The initiative has been made possible through the joint efforts of Dr. Neelam Redkar, Head of the General Medicine Department, and Dr. Ravindra Kembhavi, Head of the Department of Community Medicine, in collaboration with the Romila Palliative Care Foundation.
This marks a significant step in making quality end-of-life care accessible and compassionate within the public healthcare system.
Spike in malaria, gastro cases as early monsoon spurs rise in seasonal illnesses, says BMC
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) Public Health Department has reported a significant rise in monsoon-related illnesses in the first half of 2025, with notable increases in malaria and gastroenteritis cases. This spike is attributed to the early onset of monsoon showers in May, which created a conducive environment for the spread of vector-borne and water-borne diseases.
Data released by the BMC shows that malaria cases rose sharply to 2,857 between January and June 2025, compared to 2,055 in the same period last year. Gastroenteritis also saw an increase, with 4,513 cases reported this year against 4,200 in 2024. Hepatitis cases grew from 347 to 437, while chikungunya infections jumped from 21 to 136, indicating an alarming upward trend. Dengue cases saw a marginal rise, from 431 to 452. Meanwhile, COVID-19 infections showed a decline, with 992 cases reported in the first half of 2025, down from 1,392 during the same period last year.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
