Shirdi Sansthan proposes, Halfkine disposes

By Vikas Vaidya

Shri Saibaba Sansthan of Shirdi has given some crores of rupees to four Government Medical Colleges in Maharashtra for the purchase of necessary medical equipment. But after five months of the receipt of donations no step has been taken for the purchase by Directorate of Medical  Education and Research (DMER). According to highly placed sources the new purchase system being rooted out through Haffkine Bio Pharmaceutical Limited Corporation has brought everything to halt.
Shirdi Sansthan has donated Rs 71 crore for the upgradation of four medical colleges at Aurangabad, Nagpur, Yavatmal and Chandrapur in Maharashtra. IGGMCH received Rs 35.3 crore, Chandrapur received Rs 7.5 crore, Yavatmal got Rs 13 crore while Rs 15 crore was given to Aurangabad. As per new system all the money went into the kitty of Haffkine. When the issue of purchasing equipment and its installing arose, Haffkine shirked its responsibility saying that constructing the infrastructure for installing the equipment was not its duty. Now, it became difficult for the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) to purchase the equipment.
The Medical Council of India (MCI) has been pointing out the deficiency of non-existence of MRI in the Radiology Department in IGGMCH. This is the biggest hurdle in getting Post Graduation recognition to the department. Out of Rs 35.3 crore amount, IGGMCH was supposed to purchase MRI, CT scan machine. There is a plan of setting up laundry unit spending some amount from the Rs 35.3 crore in IGGMCH. Yavatmal Medical College too was awaiting MRI while Chandrapur Medical College wanted CT Scan machine. The faulty new purchase system is making the matter difficult and virtually the dreams of purchasing these equipment has shattered though for time being.
Another issue is related to Nagpur’s GMCH where Department of Social Justice had promised to give grant of Rs 25 crore for the purchase of Linear Accelerator equipment but now it took U-turn from its earlier commitment. Linear Accelerator is an important equipment as far as cancer treatment is concerned. It is also called LINAC, most commonly used for external beam radiation treatments for patients with cancer. These treatments can be designed in such a way that they destroy the cancer cells while sparing the surrounding normal tissue. Had it been purchased for GMCH, it would have benefitted thousands of patients of Nagpur and around.
When contacted Sanjay Deshmukh, Secretary of Medical Education told ‘The Hitavada’, “We will not purchase the equipment through Haffkine, for which Shirdi Sansthan has donated money. There are three agencies under Central Government and  we will go for one agency to do these purchases. Lately we discovered that we have no place available in IGGMCH where we could install the equipment at one spot. We are trying to sort out the issue. DMER is taking all efforts to get the procedure completed as early as possible.”


Shortage of drug continues to haunt


The new experiment by Maharashtra Government of handing over the drug purchase to Haffkine Bio Pharmaceutical Limited  Corporation has failed completely. The new system came into existence a year ago but it could not finalise the modalities of procurement of medicines for its hospitals till now. The patients across the State are suffering. The Deans of all GMCH have borrowed medicines from the drug companies and the dues have reached in crores. The GMCHs are running on saline with little medicines in their kitty. The highly placed sources told ‘The Hitavada’, the main role was played by Public Health Department of Maharashtra that brought Haffkine in, the institute actually was in bad state. Now everybody is saying that
a committee headed by former Director General of Police (DGP) Praveen Dixit was better.

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