PGIMS Rohtak cancer facility remains non-functional for over three years

Rohtak: Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) Rohtak, a state-of-the-art cancer diagnostics and radiotherapy facility, has remained non-operational for the past three years, despite the completion of its infrastructure. The delay is due to the non-procurement of critical medical equipment and the lack of fresh financial approvals from the government.

The newly constructed buildings were designed to house advanced cancer treatment technologies, including PET scans, bone scans, bone marrow transplants, linear accelerators (LINAC), CyberKnife systems, and other nuclear medicine diagnostics. Over Rs 100 crore has already been spent on construction and initial planning for equipment, including Rs 27.98 crore for the two new buildings.

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According to the Indian Express, the project documents also record that an additional expenditure of Rs 36.81 crore requires government approval for full operationalisation. This includes Rs 1.22 crore due to GST revision, Rs 2.12 crore as consultancy charges to HLL, Rs 4.50 crore for an electrical substation and DG set, Rs 28.04 crore for a LINAC machine (of which Rs 10.25 crore is available under PMSSY Phase-II), Rs 9 crore for a CT simulator and contingency charges amounting to Rs 2.18 crore. Notably, no major equipment has been procured so far.

However, no major equipment has been procured, and funds have not been allocated. Once functional, the facility is expected to provide high-end nuclear medicine diagnostics and advanced radiotherapy, including the whole body PET scan estimated at Rs 15,000-Rs 25,000, bone scan estimated between Rs 7,000 and Rs 10,000, radioiodine scan at Rs 5,000, and strontium therapy at Rs 50,000. The service will also include cutting-edge radiotherapy modalities such as IGRT, IMRT, and SBRT, estimated between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 1.5 lakh in private centres. Radioactive iodine therapy for thyroid disorders, estimated at Rs 10,000-Rs 15,000, is also part of the proposed services.

In the absence of these services, patients from Rohtak and nearby districts are compelled to travel to private hospitals in Delhi and Gurugram, often delaying treatment and incurring high expenses.

Health experts have noted that activating the facility at PGIMS would significantly reduce out-of-pocket expenditures and enable early detection, particularly benefiting economically disadvantaged patients.

As per the news reports, a cancer patient from Dhanana village said that she had been visiting PGI Rohtak for the past month. A cancer patient from Dhanana village said she had been visiting PGIMS for the past month and was forced to get expensive tests in Delhi. Another resident of Matanhail village, who had undergone breast cancer surgery at PGIMS, mentioned that medicines still had to be purchased externally.

Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda criticised the delay, stating that infrastructure built at huge public expense was lying unused. He added that, as of now, neither the machines had arrived nor had adequate staff been appointed, raising serious questions about the government’s commitment to public healthcare.

Speaking to the Indian Express, PGI Director Suresh Kumar Singhal said, “Two meetings have already been held with the government, and a budget demand of around Rs 60 crore has been placed. We are hopeful that the funds will be released in the first half of 2026.” He also said the buildings are currently being used for academic activities.

Haryana Health Minister Arti Rao stated that the buildings were handed over to the university in March 2025. She added that the LINAC machine and CT simulator were already under procurement through a CSR fund of Rs 37 crore from ONGC, while the SPECT CT machine was being procured through the Haryana Medical Services Corporation.

She further said that the budget file for the PET CT was under process with the State Finance Commission, and a request had been made to the concerned authorities to expedite the process.

Official sources disclosed, “If these machines and nuclear medicine facilities are made operational at PGI Rohtak, it would provide affordable, timely, and accessible cancer and thyroid-related treatment to economically weaker sections, reducing their dependence on costly private hospitals outside the district. The new block has been partially utilised for running the cancer OPD for the past several months”, reports the Indian Express.

Once operational, PGIMS Rohtak will provide advanced cancer treatments such as IGRT, IMRT, SBRT, PET scans, bone scans, radioactive iodine therapy, and strontium therapy, reducing dependence on private hospitals and out-of-pocket expenditure, particularly benefiting economically disadvantaged patients.

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