A patient with a plastered leg struggling on the stairs at Mumbai’s KEM Hospital has prompted the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to order an inquiry into the closure of a lift at the hospital’s orthopaedics centre. The incident was highlighted in a viral video posted by RTI activist Anil Galgali on X.
The BMC said the Additional Municipal Commissioner, City, has directed a committee headed by the Deputy Municipal Commissioner, Public Health, to investigate the circumstances and submit a factual report within 10 days. The committee will examine the patient’s medical condition, the ongoing lift replacement work and the hospital administration’s handling of the situation.
The inquiry will also recommend a standard operating procedure for maintaining patient safety and hospital services during infrastructure repair or replacement work. The move comes as the lift serving the orthopaedics centre remains out of operation while replacement and lift-shaft repair work is carried out.
According to the civic administration, the lift is 39 years old and had been showing signs of wear and tear. KEM Hospital’s civil engineering department initiated the replacement process after considering the lift’s deteriorating condition and the possibility of an accident. The BMC said the work was delayed by practical difficulties in maintaining patient services, including arranging alternative facilities and safely moving patients who cannot walk independently.
To manage the disruption, the head of the orthopaedics department issued a circular directing that patients unable to walk independently should not be admitted to the orthopaedics centre building. Such patients were instead to be admitted to the hospital’s multistorey building, where alternative arrangements were available.
The BMC said the instructions were not followed in the case that triggered the controversy. It added that the patient had undergone surgery in May 2026 and had been able to walk with the assistance of a walker for the previous two months. The patient was readmitted for removal of an implant fitted during the earlier surgery, and the procedure was completed successfully on November 9, 2026.
According to the civic administration, the patient was medically fit for discharge under established medical criteria and hospital procedures. However, at the request of the patient’s relatives, the hospital allowed the patient to remain there on humanitarian grounds. The BMC said keeping the patient in the orthopaedics centre building violated the departmental circular.
The hospital administration has issued a showcause notice to the concerned acting unit head, while the patient has been shifted to the multistorey building. The inquiry committee will determine responsibility for the lapse and frame procedures intended to prevent similar incidents when essential hospital infrastructure is under repair.
The BMC said engineering and administrative measures were being undertaken on a priority basis to restore the lift facility at the earliest. The committee’s report, due within 10 days, is expected to establish the sequence of decisions surrounding the patient’s admission, the lift replacement and the implementation of the alternative-care instructions.
