Bombay HC Appoints Panel to Inspect BMC-run Maternity Hospitals After Death

The Bombay High Court (HC) has appointed a panel of eight medical experts to inspect all maternity homes run by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The panel will conduct audits and submit a report within eight weeks.

The decision came after a petition by a man whose wife died in April 2024 at a BMC-run maternity home in Bhandup. He alleged that the hospital lacked proper facilities, including essential medical equipment. He also claimed that doctors performed surgery using a mobile phone flashlight due to power failures. Despite repeated requests, he was not given access to his wife's medical records.

The petitioner’s lawyers, senior counsel Gayatri Singh and advocate Swaraj Jadhav, told the court that the maternity home did not have enough beds, staff, or a stable electricity supply. They argued that the hospital was unprepared for emergencies.

A panel was then formed to conduct a social audit of civic maternity homes. The bench, led by Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Dr. Neela Gokhale, divided the panel into four teams. Each team, consisting of two doctors, will visit different maternity facilities and assess their conditions.

Six panel members were suggested by the petitioner’s lawyers, while two were proposed by counsel Purnima H. Kantharia, who represented the hospital and BMC. The court finalised the panel members.

The team includes Dr. Kamaxi Bhate, a retired professor of community medicine from KEM Hospital; Dr. Padmaja, head of gynecology at the same hospital; Dr. Reena Vani Cooper, head of Cooper Hospital’s gynecology department; Brinelle D'Souza, chairperson of TISS’s Centre for Health and Mental Health; Sonya Gill, vice president of the All India Democratic Women’s Association; and Sangeeta Rege, a health and women’s rights advocate.

Kantharia stated that the audit would follow standard protocols under the Labour Room Quality Improvement Initiative, a central government program aimed at reducing preventable maternal and neonatal deaths. The court directed the panel to carry out the audit as per these guidelines.

The panel will submit its findings within eight weeks. The court will then review the report and decide the next steps.