Healthcare Boost: More Specialists and Staff for 200-Bed Facility
Thane: In a major step towards improving healthcare services in Bhiwandi, the Maharashtra government has approved the creation of 258 new posts, including 18 specialist doctors, for the Indira Gandhi Memorial (IGM) Sub-District Hospital.
Persistent Efforts Lead to Approval
Samajwadi Party MLA Rais Shaikh, who actively pursued the initiative, highlighted the hospital’s previous staffing shortage.
- In 2011, only 94 staff members were approved, with no specialist doctors.
- This was inadequate for the large number of patients from Bhiwandi city and surrounding rural areas.
- With the newly approved posts, the hospital will now have over 300 staff members, improving patient care significantly.
“I am delighted that the government has finally approved 258 new positions, including 18 specialists. My goal is to transform IGM Hospital into a full-fledged specialty hospital,” said Shaikh.
Hospital Upgrades and Future Plans
MLA Shaikh also secured ₹23 crore in government funding last year to upgrade IGM Hospital, which had faced neglect since being designated a sub-district hospital in 1995.
During his tenure from 2019 to 2024, Shaikh initiated several key improvements:
✅ Bed capacity increased from 100 to 200
✅ Operation theatres expanded from 1 to 3
✅ Restarted the discontinued CT Scan service
✅ Established a 7-bed dialysis centre
✅ Introduced Unani medical services
✅ Started a modular operation theatre
Additionally, Shaikh played a vital role in setting up a 200-bed Mother and Child Health (MCH) Centre, currently 36% complete. He assured that the remaining work would be finished soon.
The approval of new staff and ongoing infrastructure expansion marks a major milestone in Bhiwandi’s healthcare transformation, promising better medical facilities for residents in the coming years.
