Opposition questions approval process as civic body backs redevelopment of SevenHills Hospital into a 1,500-bed tertiary care facility
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has approved a proposal to hand over the SevenHills Hospital campus in Marol to Capri Global Ventures Pvt Ltd under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, despite strong objections from opposition members over the need for private participation and the approval process.
The proposal was cleared by the BMC’s Improvement Committee, paving the way for a 30-year lease agreement, which can be extended for another 30 years for the hospital campus.
The proposal, which was first discussed by the committee in May, had earlier been referred back to the civic administration after members raised several concerns. It was placed before the committee once again on Tuesday and approved following an intense discussion.
During the meeting, opposition members alleged that work at the hospital had already commenced before the project received statutory approval from the Improvement Committee. They questioned how any activity could begin before the proposal was formally cleared and demanded a site inspection before granting final approval.
Several corporators also opposed the decision to hand over the hospital to a private operator, arguing that the BMC has adequate financial resources to independently operate the facility. They pointed out that SevenHills Hospital played a crucial role during the COVID-19 pandemic and should continue functioning as a civic-run healthcare institution instead of being managed through a PPP model.
However, civic officials defended the decision, stating that reviving the long-defunct hospital through a public-private partnership would strengthen Mumbai’s public healthcare infrastructure while ensuring affordable treatment for civic patients. They said the redevelopment would enable the hospital to resume operations in accordance with the terms of the original agreement.
Under the approved plan, the hospital will be redeveloped into a 1,500-bed not-for-profit tertiary care hospital. The lease covers approximately 66,688 square metres of BMC-owned land in Andheri (East).
Capri Global Ventures emerged as the successful resolution applicant for SevenHills Healthcare Pvt Ltd through the insolvency resolution process and will receive equity-based support from Reliance Foundation.
According to the approved proposal, the new promoter has agreed to honour the provisions of the original 2005 agreement and the 2013 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). These include reserving 20% of operational beds (300 beds) and 20% of OPD services for BMC-referred patients.
Eligible civic patients will continue to receive treatment, medicines and diagnostic services at BMC-approved rates under the new PPP arrangement, ensuring access to affordable healthcare while restoring one of Mumbai’s key hospital facilities.
