top of page

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.

Time’s Up

Updated: Jan 2, 2025

Indian test cricket is at a crossroads. The twin titans, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, once heralded as the pillars of the team’s success, have now become its Achilles’ heel. Their abysmal performances in recent matches, capped by a crushing 284-run defeat in Melbourne and a humiliating 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand in November, have exposed a leadership vacuum and a batting collapse of epic proportions. The time has come to wield the axe, not for the sake of symbolism, but to rescue Indian cricket from a prolonged slump.


Rohit’s decision to return to the top of the order in Melbourne was meant to rekindle his waning form. Instead, it shattered the team’s already fragile confidence.


Dismissed for a paltry nine runs, his tour aggregate of 31 runs at an average of 6.20 is the worst by any visiting captain in Australia, worse even than pacer Courtney Walsh’s record as a tailender. The result? India capitulated from a steady 121 for 3 to a dismal 155 all out, handing Australia a decisive lead in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.


Tactical missteps are no stranger to Rohit. From misjudged batting orders to poor field placements, his captaincy lacks the acumen required at the highest level. As Sunil Gavaskar had aptly suggested after the New Zealand rout, it is time for Rohit to be relieved of his captaincy duties. JaspritBumrah, with his sharp cricketing mind and calm demeanour, is a natural choice to lead India into a new era.


Kohli’s struggles are equally glaring. His tour has been marred by repeated dismissals outside the off-stump - a damning indicator of a batsman who has lost his touch. His refusal to adapt, coupled with a string of low scores, reflects poorly not just on his form but also on his leadership as a senior player.


Fans and critics alike are hesitant to hold Kohli accountable, fearing backlash or clinging to memories of his glorious past. But nostalgia cannot dictate the future of Indian cricket. Kohli must be shown the door or relegated down the batting order, making way for the next generation of talent.


Indian cricket boasts an enviable bench strength. The emergence of Yashasvi Jaiswal as a generational superstar underscores the team’s resilience and depth. It is time to embrace this new crop of players and build a team for the future. For too long, the shadow of Sharma and Kohli has stifled growth, with selectors reluctant to make the bold calls necessary for progress.


The failures of this duo are symptomatic of a larger malaise: a reluctance to innovate, an inability to adapt and an over-reliance on fading stars. As painful as it may seem, sacking Sharma and Kohli is not just an option but an imperative.


The choice before Indian cricket is stark. Cling to the past and risk mediocrity or make the tough decisions now and secure a brighter future. For the sake of Indian cricket, the latter must prevail.

Comments

bottom of page