Nod to GMCH's linear accelerator in 3 weeks, HC told
Nagpur: After a prolonged delay, the Maharashtra govt assured the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court that it would grant fresh administrative approval within three weeks for the installation of a linear accelerator machine at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) for cancer treatment, regardless of the escalated cost.A division bench of Justices Avinash Gharote and Abhay Mantri, hearing a suo motu PIL on poor infrastructure at GMCH and Mayo Hospital, directed the Medical Education and Drugs Department, the GMCH dean, and Maharashtra Medical Goods Procurement Authority to begin procurement immediately and complete it within four weeks. The court stressed that orders must be placed as soon as administrative approval is granted."This has already dragged on too long without any tangible outcome," the bench remarked, while directing authorities to also apply for all necessary licences from competent authorities within a week to avoid further procedural delays.Additional Government Pleader Deepak Thakare submitted a letter from the state dated May 6, stating that a new administrative nod would be issued within three weeks. "Whatever the cost may be, a new administrative approval for installation of the linear accelerator will be issued within the stipulated time," he told the court.The machine's original sanctioned cost was Rs23.20 crore, but with a 35% tax imposed by the central govt, the final cost rose to Rs45 crore. Last month, the court directed the state to allocate an additional Rs25 crore to bridge the funding gap. It pointed out that while Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar GMCH has two such machines, Nagpur has none, thus affecting the cancer patients.In the last hearing, the Nagpur district administration informed that it was unable to arrange the additional Rs25 crore required for the procurement of a linear accelerator for the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH). This was due to the exhaustion of available funds and an escalation in equipment costs.Senior Advocate Firdos Mirza appeared for the state, Anup Gilda assisted the court as amicus curiae, and Advocate Sudhir Puranik represented the NMRDA. The next hearing is scheduled for June 10.
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