India, Nov. 14 -- The signboard of the Dr VN Desai Hospital was dismantled on Friday, even as three containers were brought into the compound to accommodate eight outpatient department (OPD) services, as the facility gears up for a scheduled three-month shutdown for renovation.

While patients and a majority of the hospital's 400 employees will be moved to other civic hospitals, the proposed shutdown has triggered anxiety among staff, who fear they may never be brought back.

The 49-year-old civic hospital is suspending operations and inpatient care for 90 days post Diwali to carry out critical renovation and structural repair work. All ongoing hospital services, except OPD, are expected to be halted once the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corpor...