KEM Hospital renaming controversy: Symbolism or Services?

 The nameplate on the gate of King Edward Memorial Hospital (KEM) has survived a hundred years of monsoons, midnight emergencies, and the quiet grief of waiting rooms — and now, in its centenary year, Mumbai’s civic body is exploring changing its name to ‘Kaushalyashreshtha Eklavya Memorial Hospital’, which doctors and patients feel should not be a matter of priority. Doctors working with the institute highlighted the need to improve services at the KEM before focusing on the name change. 

A fresh controversy has been brewing with the renaming of KEM Hospital, established on January 22, 1926. On Monday (April 27, 2026), the opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) staged a protest against the proposal, raising objections to the KEM hospital dean, Sangeeta Ravat. Shiv Sena (UBT) Parel legislator Ajay Choudhari and opposition leader Kishori Pednekar met the dean and submitted an appeal, citing that the proposal should be cancelled. “KEM is a base for many poor patients from across the country to avail themselves of the healthcare facilities. The hospital has given several world-class doctors. It has a history,” the letter mentioned. 

KEM, the 1800-bedded hospital, is one of the largest in Maharashtra and provides training to about 2000 students in undergraduate, postgraduate and superspecialist medical courses. According to the KEM hospital authority, the 390 staff physicians and 550 resident doctors treat about 1.8 million outpatients and 85,000 inpatients annually.