Seven Hills Hospital Crisis: OPD shuts down, doctors unpaid for 6 months

Mumbai: The prestigious 1500 bedded hospital in Mumbai, Seven Hills Hospital is facing a major financial crunch forcing it to recently shut down its outpatient department services to save expenses. Moreover, the hospital has also not been able to pay its employees including employed and consultant doctors for the last six months, which have forced the doctors to refrain from coming to duties.

The hospital came out with the decision to shut down its OPD after discussing with the senior doctors and management. One of the major reasons of the shutdown comes as saving the electricity bill which runs to the tune of Rs 1 crore per month. It is reported that the hospital might close the other sections to save power, having defaulted on electricity bills running into crores of rupees for a few months.Overall, the losses of the hospital have been estimated to be Rs 150 crore each between financial years 2013-14 and 2015-16.

In Month of December, 50 doctors began an indefinite strike over non-payment of salaries. "We have been working without salaries for six months. Our EMIs are bouncing. While we are chasing the management, the banks are chasing us," said a doctor. "It's worse for doctor couples if both work here," another doctor told TOI.