Rs 24.97 Crore allocated for 3-T MRI Machine at GMCH Akola
Maharashtra: The Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Akola, Maharashtra, is set to receive an advanced 'MRI 3 Tesla' machine, following administrative approval of Rs 24.97 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Yojana.
The announcement was made by Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif during the Question Hour in the Assembly on Wednesday in response to concerns raised by Akola MLA Sajid Pathan regarding delays in procuring the machine.
The Medical Education Minister said that the purchase of the machine was delayed due to a lack of adequate response during the initial tender process done through the Pharmaceutical Corporation. Now that the procurement work has been handed over to the newly formed Drugs and Materials Procurement Authority, the process will now move forward without any hindrance.
According to a TOI media news report, the minister said, “The new MRI machine will substantially enhance diagnostic accuracy and enable timely treatment”. Along with this, he also informed that the government is exploring a public-private partnership (PPP) model to acquire MRI and CT scan machines for medical colleges across Maharashtra.
Apart from this, Mushrif also informed that the Centre has sanctioned 900 new MBBS seats for Maharashtra so that additional government medical colleges can be set up. He also confirmed that the tender process for the Parbhani Government Medical College is in progress, and construction will begin soon.
The 430-bed Hospital, Parbhani Government Medical College, is the 25th government medical college in Maharashtra, located in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra. The college started its academic session in the year 2023 with an intake capacity of 100 students. In Maharashtra, only 11 government medical colleges have been established in the last 60 years after independence. Hence, in the last nine years, from 2014 to 2023, 10 government medical colleges have been started in the state.
