'Need To Give Financial Autonomy To Govt Hospitals': Bombay High Court On Non- Availability of Essential Medicines & Equipment

The Bombay High Court at Nagpur has urged the Maharashtra Government to decentralize purchase of medicines and medical equipment by Government Hospitals giving them reasonable financial autonomy to serve the interest of patients. "There are grievances of the patients, who happen to take treatment at the Government Medical College and Hospital, Nagpur and some Doctors, who are treating them, about non availability of several essential medicines and medical equipment," the division bench of Justices SB Shukre and MW Chandwani observed. It noted that several Departments of the Government enjoy reasonable financial autonomy and are allowed to utilise their financial powers fully by purchasing the essentials that they require for their official needs but the same kind of financial autonomy is not reserved for the Government Hospitals and the Government Hospitals are compelled to make purchases of their medicines and medical equipments through Haffkine Institute. After directing the state to relook its policy, the court directed both the Deans of Government Medical Colleges at Nagpur to furnish data for the period of last five years about the dates of the requisitions sent by them calling for supply of medicines/medical equipments every month and the dates on which those monthly requisitions were fulfilled by the Haffkine Institute.