Watch: Mumbai hospital staff dance in the OPD, turn it into 'our party department'

The acronym OPD usually refers to the outpatient department but, for certain hospitals in the country, it might equate to ‘our party department’. A bizarre video of about 20 women staff members of the Diwaliben Mehta Hospital dancing and having a merry time in the OPD on 2 March has been received by the health department of BMC as part of an anonymous complaint. [caption id=“attachment_2776500” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Women staff members of the Diwaliben Mehta Hospital took dancing to an entire new level. Screenshot from YouTube video[/caption] An official inquiry against the staff, including the doctors, nurses and Class IV workers of the Chembur hospital has been ordered by the BMC. According to a Mumbai Mirror report, the celebrations in the first floor OPD began at around 10 am on 2 March. The staff decorated the OPD and arranged food for themselves. They also put up speakers and started dancing on popular songs. Children of some staff members can be seen performing lavani in the video. According to the complaint, only about 300 patients were examined that day as compared to 800 on usual days, reported NewsX. The claim of the hospital authorities, however, differ from what was said in the report. The report added that even though they did not want to reveal much information, they claimed to have treated a substantial number of patients that day in spite of the ongoing celebrations. The Mumbai Mirror report added that the Hospital’s Chief Medical Officer Vikrant Tikone said that it is an annual programme which is usually hosted on the hospital terrace. Since the terrace was under renovation, it was planned in the OPD. NewsX also reported that some patients were denied treatment or sent to the ground floor OPD which only manages basic cases. The staff, however claimed that they started their programme in the afternoon when the OPDs are over. This is not the first eccentric incident of hospital staff denying treatment to patients and having a gala time. A similar episode was reported in an Ahmedabad hospital in October 2015. Soon after the inaugration of a new kidney dialysis centre, the staff of the Sola Civil Hospital played garba in the intensive care unit. The primary difference between the two cases is the involvement of hospital authorities. While the medical supritendent of the Sola Civil Hospital was unaware of the dance episode, the Chief medical officer of Diwaliben Mehta Hospital was complicit in the celebrations. Lavani in Maharashtra, garba in Gujarat – seems like the hospitals are taking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s advice to take “pride in our heritage” a bit too seriously. You can watch the video of the celebrations in the Diwaliben Mehta Hospital here: