Pune: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has flagged serious concerns over a shortage of hospital beds at the Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College, operated by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). The regulator has warned that the medical college could face cancellation of accreditation if deficiencies are not addressed.
Major Shortfall in Bed Capacity
As per NMC norms, the college is required to maintain 420 functional hospital beds. However, only 287 beds are currently operational, leaving a deficit of 173 beds. Despite PMC’s earlier announcements to modernize civic hospitals with expanded capacity and modular OTs, progress on the ground has been hampered due to shortages of doctors, nurses, and ward staff.
Department-Wise Gaps
Several departments are falling far short of NMC’s prescribed requirements. General Medicine and General Surgery each require 100 beds but currently have only 60. Paediatrics has 50 beds, nine fewer than needed, while Dermatology has none against a requirement of 10. Orthopaedics has only 20 of 40 beds, while ENT and Ophthalmology departments have no functioning beds despite a requirement of 20 each. The ICU is critically under-equipped, with only 7 of the mandated 20 beds available. Only the Gynaecology department meets its full requirement with 50 beds.
PMC’s Response and Corrective Steps
In response to NMC’s notice, Additional Commissioner Pradeep Chandran said that 100 new beds have been added at Kamla Nehru Hospital and would become operational soon. Meanwhile, Dr Nina Borade, Head of PMC’s Health Department, stated that department-wise bed expansion is underway as per NMC’s directives. She added that a proposal has been submitted to the General Administration Department to boost manpower to support the growing infrastructure.
Risk of Recognition Loss and Penalties
This is not the first warning issued to the institute. Earlier, the NMC had served a show-cause notice highlighting serious deficiencies in infrastructure, staffing, and facilities. It also questioned why the college’s recognition should not be revoked and why a fine of ₹1 crore should not be imposed. The latest notice adds pressure on PMC to urgently meet NMC norms to safeguard the institution’s accreditation.
