Archive · 10 Sep 2026
Mumbai Civic Hospitals Face ICU Crisis Amid Dengue Malaria Surge
Mumbai civic hospitals are treating more people with dengue and malaria.
Some hospitals do not have enough specialist doctors to run their intensive care units.
One dengue patient at K.M.J. Phule Hospital needed to be moved because there was no available ICU bed.
Her platelet count had fallen below 40,000, which can make close medical care important during treatment.
Her family later found a bed at Rajawadi Hospital.
The hospital said it had been completely full for 20 to 25 days.
Doctors said an ICU needs experienced specialists, not only general MBBS doctors.
The city had also considered outsourcing ICU beds, but that proposal was sent back for technical reasons.
Mumbai civic hospitals are seeing more patients with seasonal illnesses, especially dengue and malaria.
Several hospitals are struggling to operate ICUs because specialist doctors are unavailable.
A 32-year-old dengue patient was referred from K.M.J. Phule Hospital after her platelet count fell below 40,000.
The hospital said it had no beds or functional ICU, while its existing ICU has been closed for nearly a year.
A BMC proposal to outsource 153 ICU beds across 12 suburban hospitals was reportedly returned on technical grounds.
- Who
- Patients with dengue and malaria, K.M.J. Phule Hospital, Rajawadi Hospital, BMC hospitals, and hospital officials including Dr Jitendra Jadhav.
- What
- Civic hospitals are facing increased seasonal-illness cases and difficulty operating ICUs because of specialist-doctor shortages.
- When
- K.M.J. Phule Hospital’s ICU has reportedly been non-operational for nearly a year, while the hospital has been at full occupancy for 20 to 25 days.
- Where
- Mumbai, including K.M.J. Phule Hospital in Vikhroli and Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar.
- Why
- Hospitals lack functional ICU beds and experienced specialist doctors while dengue and malaria cases are increasing.
Patient And Family Concerns
Hospital Capacity And Safety Concerns
Referral for critical care
Patient And Family Concerns
The patient’s family faced difficulty moving her at night and searching for a bed after her platelet count fell below 40,000.
Hospital Capacity And Safety Concerns
The hospital said referral was necessary because it lacked beds and a functional ICU, and dengue patients may require intensive care.
Reason for the ICU shutdown
Patient And Family Concerns
Patients are being forced to look for critical-care facilities outside their local civic hospitals.
Hospital Capacity And Safety Concerns
Dr Jitendra Jadhav said an ICU cannot safely be run by an MBBS doctor alone and requires experienced specialists.
Potential solution
Patient And Family Concerns
Restoring ICU capacity could reduce the need for families to transfer patients between hospitals.
Hospital Capacity And Safety Concerns
The hospital said it advertised for specialists, but many applicants lacked adequate or relevant experience; a wider outsourcing proposal was reportedly returned on technical grounds.
- Affected illnesses
- Dengue and malaria, described as seasonal illnesses
- Patient cited
- A 32-year-old woman from Vikhroli
- Platelet count
- Below 40,000 when she was referred
- Referring hospital
- K.M.J. Phule Hospital, Vikhroli
- Receiving hospital
- Rajawadi Hospital, Ghatkopar
- ICU status
- K.M.J. Phule Hospital’s ICU has been non-operational for nearly a year
- Proposed ICU outsourcing
- 153 beds across 12 suburban hospitals, including 10 at K.M.J. Phule Hospital