JJ Hospital Overcrowding Crisis Deepens as Demand for Six Acres of Prime Byculla Land Intensifies

Mumbai’s healthcare infrastructure is under visible strain, and few examples illustrate this pressure more sharply than the JJ Group of Hospitals. One of Maharashtra’s largest and oldest public health institutions, the JJ campus is now grappling with overcrowding on a scale that challenges both patient care and operational capacity. Daily footfall continues to rise even as the hospital’s infrastructure, much of it decades old, struggles to accommodate the sheer volume of patients arriving from across the state.

Against this backdrop, the JJ Group has formally requested six acres of prime land adjoining its campus in Byculla for immediate expansion. The land, part of a 12-acre parcel reclaimed by the Maharashtra government in 2016, is currently at the centre of a high-stakes tug-of-war between the hospital and Richardson & Cruddas Ltd (R&C), a central government undertaking. The state now faces a critical decision: whether to prioritise urgent public-health needs or consider R&C’s pitch for a commercial redevelopment project.

A Campus Under Severe Stress

JJ Hospital’s administrators have consistently warned that the campus is operating far beyond its intended capacity. Data from hospital officials underscores the scale of the crisis: its outpatient departments receive between 3,000 and 3,500 visitors every day, around 225 new patients are admitted daily, and nearly 1,150 patients occupy beds at any given time. These figures represent one of the heaviest patient loads handled by any public hospital in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

The hospital’s congested wards, ageing facilities, and limited accommodation for students and staff have made expansion not just desirable but essential. Administrators argue that without additional land, the hospital risks compromising both patient safety and academic standards.

The Proposed Expansion Plan

To relieve pressure on its infrastructure, JJ Hospital has proposed that the state transfer six acres from the reclaimed 12-acre parcel. The expansion blueprint includes a modern research centre, a bone marrow transplant facility, student hostels mandated under medical council norms, staff quarters, and a guest house. Many of these facilities are long overdue, particularly student housing and staff accommodation, which have been recurring gaps for years.

Hospital officials point out that improved residential and academic infrastructure is critical for retaining medical talent. As patient volumes grow, the need for advanced research and speciality treatment units, such as bone marrow transplant facilities, has also become more pressing.

The Richardson & Cruddas Claim

The hospital’s request is complicated by a competing claim from Richardson & Cruddas Ltd (R&C), which once operated a major heavy-engineering plant on the site. The company supplied equipment to the power sector, Railways, steel plants, and other core industries, but its lease on the land expired in 1992. When the state discovered that R&C had sublet portions of the property to private commercial enterprises without permission, it reclaimed the land in 2016.

Despite losing custody, R&C has continued to push for the return of the entire 11-acre usable plot, proposing the development of a world-class exhibition centre. The company has approached both the Bombay High Court and the Maharashtra government through the Union government, attempting to regain control of the land.

A Decision Caught Between Public Health and Commercial Redevelopment
 

The conflicting proposals were recently discussed at a meeting in Mantralaya, where officials agreed to consult both the Centre and JJ Hospital before making a final allocation. The decision will require the government to weigh two divergent priorities: the urgent healthcare needs of a heavily burdened public hospital and the redevelopment ambitions of a central PSU seeking commercial revival.

For Maharashtra, the choice carries long-term implications. Allocating the land to JJ Hospital would directly strengthen the state’s healthcare capacity, improve medical education infrastructure, and address chronic overcrowding. On the other hand, R&C’s proposal promises economic activity and commercial infrastructure, though its alignment with public priorities remains contested.

The Broader Significance for Mumbai’s Healthcare Landscape

JJ Hospital is more than a medical campus, it is a critical pillar of Mumbai’s public health system, serving thousands of low-income residents daily. Its expansion needs reflect a broader challenge across urban India: healthcare institutions built for a different era now facing demographic pressures, rising disease burdens, and expanding regional dependencies.

Mumbai’s population continues to rely heavily on public hospitals for affordable and accessible care. Enhancing capacity at major institutions like JJ is therefore central to maintaining system-wide resilience. Whether the government ultimately allocates the Byculla land to support this mission will shape not only the hospital’s future but also the city’s broader healthcare response.