Mumbai's civic hospitals to outsource cleaning amid corruption allegations
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is pushing ahead with plans to outsource housekeeping and garbage disposal in eight major civic hospitals. The move follows months of complaints about poor sanitation and uncollected waste in these facilities since late 2025.
A Rs 101 crore proposal will soon be tabled to privatise cleaning and waste management services across key institutions, including KEM, Sion, and Nair hospitals.
The contract, set for a three-year term, will cover housekeeping at KEM, Sion, Nair, Cooper, Nair Dental, Trauma Centre, Bhagwati, and M. T. Agarwal hospitals. Payment will be calculated per square foot, per month, with a daily penalty of Rs 10,000 if work fails to start on time.
However, the tender process has faced criticism. Mulund BJP MLA Mihir Kotecha has called for the bids to be scrapped, alleging a Rs 45-crore scam. He claimed the lowest bidder quoted zero for essential costs like gratuity, service charges, and safety equipment for workers. Kotecha argued that the tender was priced over 20% below the estimated cost, raising concerns about transparency. Health activist Chetan Kothari also weighed in, stressing that hospitals must uphold strict hygiene standards. Poor sanitation, he warned, increases the risk of hospital-acquired infections among patients and staff. The BMC’s decision comes as part of a broader effort to privatise non-core healthcare services. Yet, the controversy over pricing and labour conditions could delay the process.
The outsourcing plan aims to improve cleanliness in Mumbai’s civic hospitals, where sanitation issues have persisted for months. If approved, the Rs 101 crore contract will mark a major shift in how waste management is handled across these facilities. However, the allegations of irregularities in the tender process may lead to further scrutiny before implementation.
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