Nagpur: The Bombay High Court delivered a stern rebuke to the Maharashtra Government on Friday, highlighting its failure to utilize the entire budget earmarked for the procurement of essential drugs and medical equipment. The court expressed deep concern, warning that if immediate measures aren’t implemented to ensure the utilization of these funds, the allocated amount might lapse, jeopardizing the effectiveness of the healthcare system across the State.
Advocate General (AG) Birendra Saraf, representing the government, submitted that the process of procurement of medicines and medical equipment has gained pace after a separate Maharashtra Medical Goods Procurement Authority was formed.
The court asked the state government to file an affidavit stating the steps taken by it to ensure that the sanctioned budgetary amounts are spent for procurement of medicines and equipment. It also asked the state to give reasons as to why in the past the amounts were not released and why the released amounts were not entirely spent and how it was meeting with demands raised by the hospitals.
The court also noted that one third of the posts of nursing staff and technicians involved in the diagnostics department of the government-run hospitals and healthcare centres under the State Medical Education (8,721 of 21, 686) and public health departments (20, 402 of 57,740) are vacant in Maharashtra.
The court said such vacancies are “bound to hamper healthcare services and facilities in hospitals” and there is an “urgent need” to fill vacancies at all levels in an expedited manner.
Saraf submitted that various steps have been taken by the state government to fill up the vacancies at the earliest possible and he will continue to personally supervise the steps taken by the state government in that regard. He added that 3,974 of the 4,341 vacancies of nursing staff will be filled up at the earliest and by December end, the strength of the nursing staff will substantially increase in the state.
The court also directed the Chairperson of the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) to consider how the process of recruitment for medical posts in Maharashtra can be shortened to fill up the vacancies faster.
A division bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Arif S Doctor was hearing the pleas, including a suo motu PIL it had initiated on the recent deaths of patients at government hospitals in the Nanded and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar districts of Maharashtra after advocate Mohit Khanna had moved a plea in that regard.
After Saraf submitted that as per earlier orders, the process of issuing tenders to procure drugs and equipment have begun, the bench noted, “As per the information provided by the state, we prima facie find that the entire budget sanctioned for procurement of medicines and equipment has not yet been spent.”
“What is the reason behind this? This seems to be a new trend where sanctioned money lies unspent. But who is the ultimate sufferer?” the High Court questioned.
