Mumbai, Aug. 1 -- Shiv Sena (UBT) leader of the opposition in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Kishori Pednekar, has demanded that civic hospitals adopt strict vigilance measures and standard operating procedures (SOPs) to prevent suicides by patients. Her demand follows the alleged suicide of a 75-year-old man at the BMC-run Kasturba Hospital for Infectious Diseases in Chinchpokli at around 4:15pm on July 26. The patient complained of fever and was brought in by an accomplice. He was admitted to Ward 17 and was reportedly abandoned, with no relatives visiting him. He was later found hanging in the bathroom. Pednekar, a former Mumbai mayor, visited Kasturba Hospital on Friday and called for protocols to identify and closely monitor patients at risk of self-harm. "Doctors and nurses can often identify patients who appear mentally distressed or vulnerable. Such patients should be accommodated in beds closer to the nurses' station so they remain under constant observation," Pednekar told HT. "In this case, the man stayed on the footpath and had no relatives with him. That should have prompted greater care and the hospital shouldn't have ignored him." She also called for enhanced night patrols by ward staff and security personnel across hospital premises. Pednekar further demanded that the hospital preserve all relevant records pending an inquiry. She also sought that officials concerned be relieved of their administrative responsibilities until the inquiry is completed....