Cancer care buildings remain idle over funds delay, non-functional infrastructure in Rohtak

According to the official project documents accessed by The Indian Express, more than Rs 100 crore was already spent on the building construction and the proposed installation of advanced medical equipment. The project records also show the two buildings were developed at an estimated cost of Rs 27.98 crore.

The project received administrative approval on August 30, 2019, and construction commenced on June 8, 2021. For the first building, advanced machines worth nearly Rs 30 crore were planned. Equipment and machinery costing approximately Rs 40-50 crore were proposed for the second.

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 funds have yet been released for the purchase or the installation of oncology machines. The government has neither declined nor formally sanctioned the additional financial requirements.

Technically, the facility is designed to house several high-end nuclear medicine diagnostics and advanced radiotherapy services. These include 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 facilities, cancer patients from Rohtak and adjoining districts are compelled to travel to private hospitals in Delhi and Gurugram, incurring prohibitively high expenses and often delaying timely diagnosis and treatment.

Health experts believe that operationalising these services at PGIMS would significantly reduce out-of-pocket expenditure and improve early detection rates, particularly for economically weaker sections.

Usha, a cancer patient from Dhanana village, told The Indian Express that she was visiting PGI Rohtak for the past month. “The new building is ready, but treatment has not started. I am getting expensive tests done in Delhi.”

Another resident of Matanhail village who has already undergone surgery for breast cancer at PGI Rohtak said medicines still have to be purchased from outside.

Nirmala said, “If the new cancer department starts functioning, it will be a big relief. We are poor people and cannot afford such high expenses.”

Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda criticised the delay and said infrastructure built at huge public expense is lying unused. “As on date, neither machines have arrived nor adequate staff has been appointed. This raises serious questions about the government’s commitment to public healthcare.”

The university’s Vice Chancellor, H K Aggarwal, declined to comment and referred the matter to the director.

PGI Director Suresh Kumar Singhal told The Indian Express, “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 said the buildings were handed over to the university in March 2025. The minister also said, “The LINAC machine and CT simulator are already under procurement through a CSR fund of Rs 37 crore from ONGC. The SPECT CT machine is being procured through Haryana Medical Services Corporation… PET CT, the budget file is under process with the State Finance Commission. A request has also been made to the authorities concerned 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”.

Medical professionals assert that once the machines are installed, the institute will be able to provide comprehensive treatment for breast cancer, cervical cancer and other malignancies. The services will substantially benefit women patients and those from rural and economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

The cancer department at PGIMS Rohtak was originally established in December 1977 and inaugurated by the then Governor of Haryana, Haricharan Singh Brar. A subsequent foundation stone for expansion was laid on December 20, 1988, by the then Chief Minister Chaudhary Devi Lal.