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By:

Rajendra Joshi

3 December 2024 at 3:50:26 am

Procurement first, infrastructure later

Procurement at multiples of market price; equipment before infrastructure; no accountability Kolhapur: Maharashtra’s Medical Education and Public Health Departments have been on an aggressive drive to expand public healthcare infrastructure. Daily announcements of new centres, advanced equipment and expanded services have reassured citizens long denied dependable public healthcare. Procurement of medical equipment, medicines and surgical supplies is reportedly being undertaken at rates two to...

Procurement first, infrastructure later

Procurement at multiples of market price; equipment before infrastructure; no accountability Kolhapur: Maharashtra’s Medical Education and Public Health Departments have been on an aggressive drive to expand public healthcare infrastructure. Daily announcements of new centres, advanced equipment and expanded services have reassured citizens long denied dependable public healthcare. Procurement of medical equipment, medicines and surgical supplies is reportedly being undertaken at rates two to ten times higher than prevailing market prices. Basic economics dictates that bulk government procurement ought to secure better rates than private buyers, not worse. During the Covid-19 pandemic, equipment and consumables were procured at five to ten times the market rate, with government audit reports formally flagging these irregularities. Yet accountability has remained elusive. The pattern is illustrated vividly in Kolhapur. The Dean of Rajarshi Shahu Government Medical College announced that a PET scan machine worth Rs 35 crore would soon be installed at Chhatrapati Pramilaraje (CPR) Government Hospital for cancer diagnosis. But a comparable machine is available in the market for around Rs 6.5 crore. A senior cancer surgeon at a major cancer hospital in western Maharashtra, where a similar machine was recently installed, remarked that the gap between what his hospital paid and what the government is reportedly paying was enough to make one ‘feel dizzy’. The label of a ‘turnkey project’ does not adequately explain a price differential of this magnitude. High Costs CPR Hospital recently had a state-of-the-art IVF centre approved at a sanctioned cost of Rs 7.20 crore. Senior fertility specialists across Maharashtra note that even a modern IVF centre with advanced reproductive technology equipment typically costs between Rs 2.5 crore and Rs 3 crore. The state’s outlay is reportedly approaching Rs 15 crore. Equipment arrived in June 2025 and lay idle for months owing to indecision about the site. Similarly, digital X-ray machines approved for CPR Hospital and a government hospital in Nanded; available in the market for roughly Rs 1.5 crore; were reportedly procured at Rs 9.98 crore per unit. Doctors in CPR’s radiology department, apprehensive about being drawn into potential inquiries, reportedly resisted accepting the equipment. One departmental head was transferred amid disagreements over signing off on the proposal. What’s Wrong These cases point to a deeper structural failure: Maharashtra has perfected what might be called the ‘equipment first, infrastructure later’ model. In any public hospital, the administrative sequence ought to be: identify space, create infrastructure, sanction specialist posts, and only then procure equipment. Compounding the procurement paradox is a parallel policy decision. On 20 December 2025, the state government decided to introduce radiology diagnostic services through a Public-Private Partnership model (PPP). Following this, an order issued on 6 February 2026 authorised private operators to provide PET scan, MRI and CT scan services at six government medical college hospitals: in Pune, Kolhapur, Miraj, Sangli, Mumbai and Baramati. CPR already has a 126-slice CT scan machine and a 3 Tesla MRI scanner, with another CT scan proposed. If the PPP arrangement proceeds, the hospital could simultaneously run one PET scan machine, two MRI scanners and three CT scan machines. Medical experts warn this could lead to unnecessary diagnostic testing simply to keep machines occupied, thus exposing patients to excess radiation while government-owned equipment gathers dust. A similar pattern was seen during the pandemic, when the Medical Education Department spent hundreds of crores on RT-PCR machines, only to award swab-testing contracts to a private company. Many of those machines remain unused today.

Emergency medical centers shut in Central Railway line

Updated: Mar 6, 2025

Central Railway

Mumbai: Several emergency medical centers at key railway stations on the Central Railway line, established to provide immediate medical assistance to commuters in distress, have reportedly been shut down in recent months. This has raised serious concerns about the safety of passengers who may require urgent medical attention due to sudden health issues or railway accidents.


These emergency centers were set up near railway stations to ensure prompt medical aid for passengers experiencing health complications or injuries from train-related mishaps. However, frequent complaints from commuters highlighted a lack of medical staff, doctors, and essential medical equipment at these centers. Recent information obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act by activist Sameer Zaveri confirms the closure of several such facilities at major stations on the Central Railway network.


As a result, passengers in need of immediate medical care are being forced to seek treatment outside the railway premises, often losing crucial time in emergencies. Many incidents of commuters falling from local trains or getting injured while crossing railway tracks have been reported, but due to the unavailability of timely first aid, casualties have occurred.


When our reporter contacted Central Railway’s Public Relation Officer, Dr. Swapnil Neela, he stated, "Emergency medical centers are currently operational at five major railway stations. Additionally, Central Railway has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with 76 hospitals located within 500 to 600 meters of railway stations, covering 41 stations under this arrangement."


Earlier inspections revealed two primary reasons for the failure of these emergency centers: the unavailability of doctors and a lack of essential medical equipment. Due to numerous complaints from passengers, railway officials conducted inspections and found that doctors were frequently absent, and emergency centers were not responding effectively.


To address these concerns, the Central Railway has now partnered with hospitals near railway stations, ensuring that passengers requiring medical assistance receive immediate treatment. The railway authorities have assured that all expenses incurred for emergency treatment at these hospitals will be covered by the railway. Passengers are urged not to panic, as necessary measures have been taken to provide medical support in case of emergencies.

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