Mumbai: Pregnant women visiting VN Desai Hospital in Santacruz are facing growing distress as the civic hospital’s sonography services have been suspended for over a month due to the absence of a radiologist. As a result, expectant mothers, many from low-income households, are being forced to either travel to distant public hospitals or pay out-of-pocket for expensive scans at private diagnostic centres.
The disruption stems from a staffing crisis. According to hospital superintendent Dr Jayaraj Acharya, the radiologist previously employed at the facility left to pursue further studies abroad. “We advertised to fill the vacancy, but have not yet received a suitable candidate. Until then, we are referring patients to Bhabha Hospital,” he said.
However, these referrals have only added to the burden on other civic hospitals such as Bhabha Hospital in Bandra and Cooper Hospital in Juhu, which are already grappling with long queues and heavy caseloads. With wait times stretching into hours, many women—especially those in advanced stages of pregnancy—say the situation has become unbearable.
For Shahid Syed, a daily wage worker who brought his wife Rabia to VN Desai Hospital for a routine antenatal check-up, the experience was deeply frustrating. “The doctor told us to get a sonography done, but said it couldn’t be done here. We were advised to go to another hospital or a private centre, which charges much more than we can afford,” he said.
Rabia’s case is not isolated. Several women report being advised to visit private labs, where basic sonography tests cost anywhere from ₹800 to ₹2,500—an unaffordable amount for many who depend on free care at government hospitals.
Azmi Khan, now in her eighth month of pregnancy, said she had no choice but to undergo two sonography tests at private centres after being told services were unavailable at VN Desai. “They asked me to go to Bhabha Hospital, but it’s overcrowded and far from where I live. At this stage of pregnancy, running around like this is very difficult,” said Khan, also a daily wage worker.
Similarly, Rukhsana Ansari, whose daughter-in-law is nearing her delivery date, expressed concern over delayed and missed scans. “They had asked for a scan a month ago, but it couldn’t be done. With no doctor here, we had to get it done privately. It’s expensive and not something poor families can afford. We never had to face this earlier,” she said.
Residents have urged the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to urgently fill the vacant radiologist post at VN Desai Hospital, warning that the lack of sonography services risks maternal and fetal health. The prolonged delay highlights critical gaps in public healthcare, where one unfilled position can disrupt vital services, forcing vulnerable women to seek costly private care in a system meant to protect them.
Hospital officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the recruitment process for the radiologist has been delayed by both administrative hurdles and regulatory requirements under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act. Even after a doctor is appointed, the hospital must submit credentials to the local civic ward office for approval before sonography services can resume. This verification process, they explained, often takes time.
In the meantime, patients are caught in a limbo—unable to access timely prenatal care unless they turn to costly private alternatives.