Acting swiftly after mid-day’s Friday report, KEM Hospital has begun replacing old and torn bedsheets with new or better-quality ones. The move comes less than 48 hours after mid-day exposed the unhygienic and worn-out linen being used across multiple wards at one of Mumbai’s largest public hospitals.
On Saturday, patients and relatives confirmed that hospital staff had started collecting damaged mattresses and replacing them with new or better ones sourced from the hospital’s laundry unit. The sight came as a relief to many families who had been complaining for weeks about the unhygienic state of bedding.
The bed photographed on July 17 (right) A new mattress replaces the torn one
“We were surprised to see the staff changing the mattress suddenly this morning. They put a brand-new, soft, and comfortable mattress with fresh bedsheets on my bed. It feels good to finally rest properly,” said Ladli Khatun, a patient in the ladies’ ward of the CVTC Building.
Renuka Jamdar, who was admitted earlier in June, added, “It’s good they’ve started changing the mattresses at least now. Future patients can recover in comfort.” However, patients said many beds remain unusable and need full replacement. “The iron rods of my bed have broken, so even the new mattress sinks in the middle. The cushioning at the centre is already torn,” said Samidha Kadam, admitted after a heart procedure.
A hospital staff member told mid-day, “Many broken beds have been dumped in the basement of this new building. We need to remove more, but there’s no space to keep them before they’re sent for scrap.” Meanwhile, Medical Superintendent Dr Mohan Desai said the hospital’s priority remains patient care over logistical issues. “We are not a revenue-generating institute. These things require funds, which take time to be allocated,” Dr Desai said.
