September 16, 2025: The Union government has sanctioned a 50-seat graduate medical college at GT Hospital, adding to the city’s network of government and civic-run medical colleges at Nair, KEM, Sion, Cooper and JJ hospitals. The move comes as the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) hospital in Andheri, badly damaged in a 2018 fire, is finally on the path to becoming fully operational.
The December 2018 blaze at the Andheri ESIC hospital claimed 11 lives and injured 146 people, including five infants. Investigations revealed that the facility lacked a fire safety clearance and had stored 20 unauthorised LPG cylinders inside the premises. Following the incident, most services were shifted to ESIC’s Kandivali hospital.
The proposal to transfer the Andheri hospital to the Centre dates back to 2008, under the leadership of then chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and health minister Suresh Shetty. “The medical college was sanctioned when Oscar Fernandes was labour minister—he granted ₹500 crore to build it into a model superspeciality hospital,” recalled Shetty, who also represented Andheri East in the assembly. “The fire in 2018 delayed things. I am glad it is finally starting now.”
Progress stalled until Congress leader Rajesh Sharma filed a public interest litigation in the Bombay High Court, highlighting that the hospital remained non-functional even five years after the fire. The court directed the National Building Construction Company to complete construction by August 2025 and ordered ESIC to make the hospital fully operational by 31 January 2026.
Currently, the Andheri complex has a 300-bed capacity, with 100 beds functional. Officials said the remaining beds would be operational soon, with construction and interiors to be completed by December. However, the hospital is still awaiting final fire safety clearance from the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation and the fire department.
Source: Hindustan Times
