Pune rural gets lion’s share of jumbo facility equipment

Equipment and beds from both the jumbo facilities in the district – one at COEP, Pune and the other at Annasaheb nagar, PCMC - will be distributed to all three governing authorities that initially invested in the project namely, the state government, PMC and PCMC

During a meeting with the divisional commissioner regarding the distribution of equipment and beds used at the COEP jumbo facilities, it was decided that Pune rural or state-run hospitals would get about 50% of the equipment while both the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) would get about 25% each.

While the initial investment was divided between the state (50%), PMC (25%) and PCMC (25%), the PMRDA contributed for the COEP set up only between August 2020 and March 2021 during the first wave. (Rahul Raut/HT PHOTO)

Equipment and beds from both the jumbo facilities in the district – one at COEP, Pune and the other at Annasaheb nagar, PCMC - will be distributed to all three governing authorities that initially invested in the project namely, the state government, PMC and PCMC. The distribution is in proportion to the investment by the respective government authorities during the initial investment for set up.

At the meeting, it was decided that Pune rural hospitals and state government hospitals would get 50% of the medical equipment, including beds, dialysis units, ventilators, IV stands and other equipment as the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) had invested 50% of the cost for the initial set up. This also includes major hospitals such as Sassoon general hospital and District hospital Aundh which would take up the majority of the equipment from the rural share to facilitate treatment in the new 11-storeyed building.

Ayush Prasad, chief executive officer, zilla parishad, said, “Although it has been decided that the state government-run hospitals will get about 50% of the equipment, it is not a hard and fast rule and the three governing authorities have been told to ensure that no equipment is wasted and also that it is distributed as per the initial investment. Even though the state government hospitals would probably get a greater share, if hospitals like Sassoon general hospital, District hospital Aundh and Baramati hospital are equipped with ventilators, the load on PMC- or PCMC-run hospitals will be diverted which will eventually benefit the district.”

While the initial investment was divided between the state (50%), PMC (25%) and PCMC (25%), the PMRDA contributed for the COEP set up only between August 2020 and March 2021 during the first wave. A senior PMC official from the health department said, “Between August 2020 and March 2021, the PMDRA cleared the payments to the agency and also for patients’ treatment. In the same period, the PMC bore the cost of medicines, consumables and patients’ food. From April 2021 to February 2022, the PMC bore the entire cost, right from the patient’s treatment, consumables and also outsourcing cost of manpower. In 2020-21, the PMC spent Rs31,562,218 and in 2021-2022, the civic body spent 369,054,784.”

Prasad also said that the Pune zilla parishad has excess bed furniture as it has 450 beds from the Wipro facility and 1,400 beds from its Mahalunge facility. He said, “The equipment that the Pune Zilla Parishad will get is for rural hospitals, sub-district hospitals, the district hospital, women’s hospital, Sardar Patel hospital in Pune cantonment, the hospitals in Khadki and Dehu road cantonment, Sassoon general hospital, Baramati medical college and the Ayurvedic medical college.”