Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

No beds, packed morgues: Mumbai hospitals near collapse

Packed morgues, bodies in wards, patients forced to share beds and medical workers run ragged: Mumbai's war against coronavirus has pushed the Indian city's hospitals to breaking point.

Ravi, 26, had to change his mother's diapers himself as she lay dying from the disease in the huge Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, better known as Sion.


"They would just give us medicines and leave," Ravi (not his real name) told AFP. Staff in the 1,300-bed facility were "overworked and tired", he said, with sometimes three patients per bed.

Now he too has contracted the virus and is in another hospital -- but only after four facilities refused to admit him. "We don't have the infrastructure for this disease," he said.

The state-run Sion hospital has become a byword for the stunning failure of Mumbai -- home to billionaires, Bollywood and slums -- to cope with the pandemic.

A video widely shared on social media and shown on Indian TV showed corpses wrapped in black plastic left on beds in a ward where patients are being treated.

Authorities said they were investigating the footage.

- 'So many cases' -

With space at a premium, and relatives too afraid or unable to claim their dead because they are themselves in quarantine, disposal of coronavirus corpses is not easy, doctors say.

But dealing with the sick is much harder.

"We don't have enough beds to manage so many cases. The emergency area gets full in a matter of hours," Aditya Burje, a junior doctor working night shifts at Sion hospital, told AFP.

The hospital's proximity to India's biggest slum Dharavi makes it a key battleground in the fight against the pandemic.

"In March there were just one or two suspected cases a day. It all seemed to be under control. Then the situation drastically changed," the 25-year-old said.

By the end of April, Burje and his colleagues were overwhelmed.

"We were seeing 50-100 patients a day, 80 percent of whom would turn out to be positive and many would need to be on oxygen," he said.

Like many doctors at state-run hospitals, Burje, who gets a $700 monthly stipend, has not been paid since India went into lockdown in late March.

He has not had a night off in two months.

With nearly a third of his medical school cohort at the hospital diagnosed with coronavirus, he admitted he was scared to go to work.

"If something happens, who will take care of me?"

- 'System exploding' -

Sion hospital is not alone in India's financial capital. And everyone -- from medical students to doctors with decades of experience -- is struggling.

Intensive care specialist Deepak Baid, who runs a private hospital in north Mumbai, volunteered to help at a state-run medical facility, Rajawadi Hospital.

But though it is only equipped to handle patients with moderate symptoms, doctors there routinely end up treating critically ill people, Baid said.

Even clinicians specialising in fields like dermatology or orthopaedics are being hit with caseloads of patients they are not qualified to treat.

"We can't send (patients) to other better-equipped hospitals because they have no beds and so we do what we can," he told AFP.

"The system is under a lot of pressure, it's exploding," he said.

Flimsy protective equipment has made sanitation workers fearful of tackling tasks such as changing sheets used by coronavirus patients, Nilima Vaidya-Bhamare, another doctor, told AFP.

- 'Utterly neglected' -

Mumbai has 4,500 beds for coronavirus patients, according to Daksha Shah, a senior health official with the city authority.

"We are expanding capacity all the time," she told AFP, pointing to efforts to build a 1,000-bed field hospital in a commercial hub.

Authorities are also setting up intensive care units inside schools.

But with Mumbai so far registering around 18,000 cases, a fraction of its 18-million-strong population, fears are growing that India's worst-hit city is unprepared for a potential surge.

India spends less than two percent of its GDP on healthcare.

As of 2017, India had 0.8 doctors per 1,000 people, around the same level as Iraq, according to the World Bank. China has 1.8 per 1,000, and the United States 2.6.

Many of the problems highlighted by the pandemic have been festering for a long time, Vaidya-Bhamare said, from a lack of basic supplies such as soap to overburdened staff.

"I graduated in 1994 and government hospitals were utterly neglected then," she said. "Why does it take a pandemic to wake people up?"

More For You

Amazon Prime Day deals

This year’s event extended to a full 96 hours running

iStock

15 best Amazon Prime Day deals to grab before Friday

Key points

 
     
  • Prime Day 2025 runs from 8–11 July in the UK
  •  
  • Top discounts on tech, beauty, home and essentials
  •  
  • Must-have offers include deals on Dyson, Nespresso, Oral-B, and more
  •  
  • Exclusive to Amazon Prime members (free trial available)

Amazon Prime Day 2025 is well underway, with this year’s event extended to a full 96 hours running from Tuesday 8 July to Friday 11 July. With thousands of products on offer across nearly every category, shoppers in the UK can enjoy steep discounts on everyday essentials, big-ticket tech, and top-rated beauty favourites.

We’ve sifted through the extensive listings to highlight 15 of the best value-for-money deals currently live, with savings of up to 60%. All prices are correct at the time of writing and exclusive to Prime members.

Keep ReadingShow less
5 secret beaches

Barafundle Bay, Pembrokeshire, Wales

iStock

5 secret beaches in the UK that feel like the tropics

Key points

  • Discover hidden UK beaches with turquoise waters and golden sands
  • Ideal for summer staycations without the cost of long-haul travel
  • Includes lesser-known spots in Wales, Scotland, Cornwall, and more
  • Perfect for quiet escapes, coastal walks, and Instagram-worthy views

Escape to paradise – no passport required

Think you need to fly halfway across the world for clear blue water and white sand? Think again. The UK is home to a surprising number of secluded beaches that look straight out of the Caribbean – without the crowds or jet lag. From hidden coves in Cornwall to windswept bays in the Scottish Highlands, here are some of the most tropical-looking beaches on British soil.

1. Barafundle Bay, Pembrokeshire, Wales

Often dubbed the UK’s answer to the Caribbean, this National Trust-owned gem boasts golden sand, crystal-clear waters, and dramatic cliffs. Accessed by a half-mile walk from Stackpole Quay, it remains blissfully untouched by development.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ping Pong restaurant chain shuts all UK branches

The chain had also gained a following for its themed brunches

iStock

Ping Pong restaurant chain shuts all UK branches after 20 years

Key points

  • Chinese dim sum restaurant Ping Pong has closed all its UK locations
  • The chain made the announcement via social media
  • Founded in 2005, the brand thanked customers and staff for their support
  • Loyal diners shared memories and disappointment in the comments

All branches are permanently closed

Chinese restaurant chain Ping Pong has permanently closed all its branches in the UK, the company confirmed in a social media announcement.

Founded in 2005 by restaurateur Kurt Zdesar, the dim sum chain had become popular for its stylish interiors, creative menus, and Asian-inspired cocktails. The company did not provide prior notice of the closure but said the decision marked the end of an “unforgettable” 20-year journey.

Keep ReadingShow less
New Covid strain

Experts have raised concerns about the immune-evasive nature of the Stratus strain

iStock

New Covid strain Stratus spreads in UK with unusual hoarse voice symptom

Key points

  • A new Covid strain known as Stratus is spreading across the UK
  • The variant is marked by a distinctive symptom: a hoarse or raspy voice
  • Sub-variants XFG and XFG.3 now account for 30% of cases in England
  • Experts say there is no evidence of more severe disease
  • Lower immunity levels may make more people vulnerable to infection

Covid variant Stratus on the rise in the UK

A new strain of Covid-19, known as Stratus, is spreading across the UK and drawing attention for its unusual symptom — a hoarse or raspy voice. According to data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Stratus and its two sub-variants, XFG and XFG.3, are responsible for around 30 per cent of Covid cases in England.

Of the two, XFG.3 is currently the more dominant. The UKHSA confirmed that monitoring of all circulating Covid-19 variants is ongoing as part of regular surveillance.

Keep ReadingShow less
Human brain continues forming neurons

Neurogenesis, the process by which new neurons form in the brain

iStock

Human brain continues forming neurons well into old age, study finds

Key points

  • New neurons continue forming in the brain’s hippocampus into old age
  • Study confirms presence of neural progenitor cells in adults
  • DNA carbon dating and single-nucleus RNA sequencing were used
  • Research shows variation in neuron production between individuals
  • Findings could aid treatments for neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders

Human brain shows ongoing neuron formation into older age

A new study has confirmed that the human brain continues to produce new nerve cells well into late adulthood, challenging previous assumptions about age-related decline in neurogenesis. The findings, published in the journal Science, provide fresh insight into how adaptable the brain remains over a lifetime.

Neurogenesis, the process by which new neurons form in the brain, is known to occur in the hippocampus — a region involved in memory. While previous research has suggested that this process continues throughout life, there has been limited concrete evidence of the presence of neural progenitor cells in the adult brain.

Keep ReadingShow less