Hospital equipment locked up,citizens see ego at play

“The machine is locked in a room in the basement because of the controversy,” said outgoing PCMC health and medical chief Dr Shyamrao Gaikwad. Municipal Commissioner Shrikar Pardeshi said,“Its utility and cost are being verified. We will use it only after we are convinced of its necessity…”

Pardeshi also said the machine does not look as if it is meant for the poor. “Patients need 30-40 sittings costing nearly Rs 2 lakh. I don’t think patients here can afford such treatment,” he said.

The HBOT machine—in which oxygen is administered to patients under higher-than-atmospheric pressure—arrived over 6 months back.

It ran into a controversy after Pardeshi started a probe to find whether the hospital really needed the machine and whether the cost matched the market price.

After contacting a few hospitals and experts,the PCMC chief is believed to have concluded that YCMH needed a one-bed capacity machine whereas the machine purchased was of four-bed capacity. Besides,the cost was found to be on the higher side.

Pardeshi had held the then PCMC health chief Dr Anand Jagdale responsible for wrongly recommending the machine. On the day of his retirement on January 31,an inquiry was initiated against Dr Jagdale who pleaded “not guilty” but the municipal commissioner withheld his retirement benefits. Some benefits were later restored after Dr Jagdale pointed out retirement privileges of a civic employee.

Dr Jagdale,in his submission to the municipal commissioner,said he had recommended the machine but there were four other top civic doctors including Dr Gaikwad who recommended it,too. Dr Jagdale told the PCMC chief that the final decision was taken by the then municipal commissioner Asheesh Sharma.

A senior civic doctor,on the condition of anonymity,said,“The docket for purchase of HBOT machine was placed before the standing committee by the then civic chief Asheesh Sharma. Therefore,it is clear the former civic chief made the final decision. So why is the municipal commissioner targeting one doctor when he should be launching a probe against his predecessor?”

The PCMC chief countered that his predecessor was not a doctor,but an engineer and was probably given the wrong advice by Dr Jagdale. Using the same line of argument,a senior official was quick to take a dig at Pardeshi. Requesting anonymity,he said,“Then why is he (Pardeshi is a doctor himself) taking action against civic engineers on various issues?”

Asking the PCMC chief to start a probe against his predecessor,the CPF in a letter to the municipal commissioner,said,“Instead of targeting one player,you should act against the captain.”

The CPF said now that the machine has been purchased,it would be in the best interest of citizens if it is put to use. “You should not allow ego to come into play. You can proceed with the probe into the cost of the machine but it would be in the interest of patients to start making use of the machine.”

As for the cost,the PCMC had signed an agreement with a private firm to get it for Rs 3 crore,but paid only Rs 1.4 crore. Besides,a notice has been sent to the firm for recovering octroi of Rs 80 lakh on the machine.

Civic doctors said,“So the machine would eventually cost Rs 60 lakh. Why lock it up?”