Minister Assures Quick Action Amid Legislative Assembly Debate
Nagpur: After a 13-year delay, the Maharashtra government has promised that the Nagpur District Hospital will be operational within the next three months. The long-pending project, approved in 2012 and issued a work order in 2018, was raised in the Maharashtra legislative assembly on Wednesday by BJP MLA Pravin Datke, who called the delay a major healthcare failure.
Govt Promises Swift Approvals & Infrastructure Development
Responding to Datke’s concerns, Minister of State for Public Health Meghna Bordikar assured that Public Health Minister Prakash Abitkar and senior officials would soon visit the hospital to assess the situation and expedite pending approvals.
“Despite government approval for staffing, the recruitment process hasn’t started. Out of 113 essential medical equipment, only 22 have been procured. Even outsourcing proposals for essential services like laundry and kitchen operations are pending approval,” Datke stated.
Nagpur’s Healthcare Gap & Legal Roadblocks
Despite Nagpur being home to premier medical institutions like AIIMS and two government medical colleges, west Nagpur still lacks a fully functional district hospital. Datke demanded a fixed timeline and emphasized that the hospital should be equipped with super-specialty facilities to cater to the region’s growing healthcare needs.
Legal complications have also hindered progress. A High Court ruling previously directed authorities to file an affidavit regarding the project’s completion, but slow procurement processes and administrative hurdles continue to stall operations. Concerns over subpar construction quality have also been raised, with reports suggesting that infrastructure issues could impact the hospital’s long-term functionality.
With the government now committing to a three-month deadline, stakeholders await concrete action to ensure the hospital is finally opened to serve the people of Nagpur.
