India, Sept. 29 -- Nearly three years after it was originally scheduled to open, the ambitious super-speciality expansion of the state-run Sir JJ Hospital remains incomplete, with pending construction work, no Occupation Certificate (OC) and uncertainty over staffing continuing to delay the project. The wait has left one of the state's busiest public hospitals struggling to expand its services despite a steady influx of patients.

Spread across 44 acres in the heart of Mumbai, JJ Hospital has 1,352 beds, including 250 ICU beds, and receives more than 3,000 patients at its outpatient departments (OPDs) every day. The proposed expansion, comprising four wings, was intended to strengthen its capacity to provide advanced medical care and ease...