State to take back FSI from Global Hospital for withholding beds for poor | Mumbai News

Mumbai: Responding to complaints that the multi-speciality Global Hospital (renamed GlenEagles Hospital in 2023 after it was acquired by Singapore-based IHH Healthcare) had not been allocating 15% beds for the poor in lieu of FSI given by the state, minister Madhuri Misal told the state assembly that the govt would take back the additional FSI granted for its expansion, not allow the hospital to build a proposed new wing and not grant occupation certificates for two new floors.Misal said an inquiry will be conducted by an additional chief secretary into whether any BMC official was responsible for not taking action against the hospital. “The hospital has not been providing the reserved beds. This is a serious matter,” said Misal.The issue was raised in the state assembly by SS (UBT) MLA Ajay Choudhari. He said Global Hospital was supposed to provide 15% beds for the poor to the BMC and charge them according to the rates of BMC hospitals. “They have not provided the beds for the last 15 years and used them for private patients. This is corruption amounting to Rs 150 crore,” alleged Choudhari.In response, Misal, who is minister of state for urban development, said the state had provided the 245-bed hospital with additional 9,357 square metres of FSI on condition that 15% of the beds would be reserved for the BMC for the treatment of poor patients.Misal admitted that the hospital had not been providing the beds but got around penal action by approaching the court. “Providing the BMC beds was a precondition to granting the FSI. The hospital has not been providing the beds. They claim they will give beds at the central govt rate which is much higher than the BMC hospital rate,” Misal told the state assembly.She said the state has denied renovation permissions to the hospital. “However, it went to court and got the permissions,” said Misal. The matter will come up for a court hearing on March 25. Misal said the hospital had not yet used FSI amounting to 4,723 square metres.BJP MLA Yogesh Sagar demanded to know what action should be taken against BMC officials for renewing the hospital’s license each year. Global Hospitals was founded by Hyderabad-based gastroenterologist Dr K Ravindranath in 1999, with the Parel branch established in 2012. In 2015, IHH Healthcare acquired a 73.4% controlling stake in Global Hospitals; in 2023, it acquired the remaining stake to take full ownership of the chain.