Amid a shortage of critical-care equipment at Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC)-run hospitals, seriously ill newborns are being referred to Sassoon General Hospital (SGH), which itself faces heavy pressure on its intensive care facilities. Against this backdrop, the civic standing committee has cleared a proposal to purchase 10 ventilators and 10 CPAP machines for neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) at three civic hospitals, at a cost of ₹3.98 crore.
The equipment will be installed at Kamala Nehru Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Hospital and Chandumama Sonawane Maternity Home in the city.
The proposal, moved by municipal commissioner Naval Kishore Ram, was approved by the standing committee. Standing committee chairman Shrinath Bhimale said the approval would let the administration begin the purchase process urgently.
“The proposal has been approved, and the way is now clear for the urgent purchase of the equipment required for newborn care,” Bhimale said.
The move comes amid concerns over the availability of ventilators and other critical-care facilities for newborns in civic hospitals.
SGH, one of city’s major government tertiary-care centres, already carries a heavy patient load. Its administration has said intensive care beds remain occupied, with five to six critically ill patients waiting for an ICU bed every day, and has sought 40 additional medical ICU beds and 20 surgical ICU beds.
For families of critically ill newborns, such referrals can mean added delays and logistical difficulties at a time when timely intensive care is crucial.
{{/usCountry}}For families of critically ill newborns, such referrals can mean added delays and logistical difficulties at a time when timely intensive care is crucial.
{{/usCountry}}The PMC had proposed the purchase after Kamala Nehru Hospital’s medical superintendent sought both ventilators and CPAP machines to provide respiratory support to newborns needing intensive care.
The administration plans to buy the equipment without a standard tender process, instead using direct quotations under Section 67(3)(c) of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporations Act, citing the urgency of neonatal treatment. A regular tender could take about a month, according to the proposal; officials are working to expedite the purchase so the equipment reaches the hospitals as soon as possible.
The expenditure will be drawn from the ₹10 crore earmarked for equipment and machinery in PMC’s 2026-27 budget, of which ₹3.98 crore will go toward the 20 machines.
Officials said the move is expected to strengthen neonatal critical care at the three civic facilities.