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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.

Want to Beat the Heat? Strengthen Your Immunity!

Ayurveda has solutions that can help to naturally rebuild lost tolerance for scorching heat

Summers have set in, and so has the consumption of Air Conditioners and refrigerated water risen. There was a time when we were tolerant to the scorching heat when Air Conditioners and refrigerators were not a part of life. In fact, refrigerated water, and an air-conditioned room both are hazardous to our health, especially to those suffering from specific medical conditions. Rather air conditioners should be strictly avoided by patients suffering from joint problems, Osteoarthritis, Seropositive rheumatoid arthritis, Seropositive patients, immune disorders, Arthritis. Migraine patients too need to refrain from excessive usage of AC.

 

The best way to fight the impact of scorching heat is to strengthen our immunity and tolerance. The big question remains, how exactly can we do this. The answer lies in history, when Ayurveda gave us a lot of doable remedies, which were passed on by the grandparents to the generation next. All we need to do is, remind ourselves of those, and gradually allow us quit AC completely. The simplest way to eliminate AC in peak summers is to literally put-up wet curtains in the room. It works wonders.  

 

Heat strokes, a common problem

As per Ayurveda, exposure to scorching heat affects the process of blood purification, in case this happens beyond a certain limit, it leads to a heat stroke. Usually, in summers, the amounts of ‘pitta’ or bile which is a yellow-green fluid produced by the liver that aids in the digestion of fats rises. That leads to a lot of perspiration and body heat. To fight heat strokes Ayurveda has suggested a very simple addition that can be made to our everyday meal, that is ‘Gulkanda’ which is basically nothing but rose petal jam. One spoon of the jam mixed with one spoon of ghee if consumed twice a day, heat strokes can be avoided. In addition to this, you can start using Ubtan instead of body wash or soap. That’s the best remedy for excessive perspiration leading to body odour, itching and other conditions that follow.

 

Indian traditions have solutions to everything. Among many, there is this another simple and very effective drink that can be consumed to work on water loss. Add puffed rice to some water and boil it. Once boiled, smash the puffed rice and then strain the mixture. You can mix sugar, salt, cumin power, etc. as per your preference and drink it. 

 

Say no to refrigerated water

Refrigerated water is not healthy at all. It can lead to sore throat, migraine, weakening digestive system, tooth sensitiveness, dizziness, cold stress, so on and so forth. There are simple ways to eliminate refrigerated water. The most popular and oldest concept of storing water in an earthen pot is the best replacement for this. Besides there is a medicinal plant called ‘वाळा’ whose scientific name is Chrysopogon zizanioides. This plant is native to India and is a member of the grass family. This grass can be mixed in the water stored in the earthen pot. Apart from this, all flowers having fragrance like mogra can be mixed in the water stored in an earthen pot to infuse it with the qualities of the flowers. Such infused water stored in earthen pot is very beneficial to combat heat.

 

Replace refrigerated water with

Ayurveda recommends several simple recipes of drinks that we can consume to keep ourselves hydrated.  

  1. Kokam drink which is made of Garcinia indica, a plant in the mangosteen family (Clusiaceae), commonly known as kokum mixed with water, sugar and salt.

  2. ‘Chandanadi mantha’ which is made by straining a rested mixture of water, Chandan power. Adding sugar is a matter of preference. We can also infuse it with edible camphor. It is very useful.

  3. ‘Kharjuradhi mantha’ which is a drink made from dates, Amla, pomogranate, tamrind and black raisins. This is extremely useful to combat excessive heat.

  4. Kheer is an Indian delicacy which basically contains sugar and milk. This dish too helps combat heat.

 

It is understandable that AC has captured our life styles completely and while we gradually attempt to completely eliminate it from our lives, the first step can be to aim at reduced or changing the way we use it while ensuring certain precautions. While its needless to say that regular AC maintenance is a must do, strictly avoiding super chilling temperatures is a very important point. Super chilling temperatures take a toll on patients who suffer from respiratory disorders like  Sinusitis. They experience headache, blocked nose and breathing problems when they spend an entire night with temperatures as low as 18 degrees on the AC, while the room temperature is 30 plus degrees. Make a start, by avoiding exposure to drastically opposite environments.

 

(Writer is MD Ayurveda and a practicing Consultant based in Thane, Maharashtra. Views Personal)

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