The
Bombay High Court on Friday pulled up the Maharashtra government for not
releasing or spending the entire budgetary allocation for procurement of drugs
and medical equipment, citing that it was letting the amount lapse at the cost
of the healthcare system.
A
division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Arif Doctor sought to
know from the government what steps have been taken to spend the budgetary
allocation, the reasons for not releasing the amount entirely in the past and
for not using the released sum.
The
court was hearing a bunch of petitions, including one initiated suo motu (on
its own), raising concerns over the high number of deaths at government
hospitals in Nanded and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar districts.
Advocate
General Birendra Saraf informed the bench that as per earlier orders, the
government has now appointed a chief executive officer for the Maharashtra
Medicines Procurement Authority, and the process of issuing tenders to procure
drugs and equipment has begun.
The
court said it hopes and trusts that the process of procuring these items picks
up pace now.
"What
we notice is that the budget allocated and sanctioned is not released entirely,
and whatever amount is released is not spent. What is the reason behind
this?" CJ Upadhyaya asked.
"This
seems to be a new trend with the government. But who is the ultimate sufferer?
We hope and trust that steps would be taken to spend the budget in its entirety
otherwise it lapses at the cost of the healthcare system," the court said.
It
directed the state government to file an affidavit by February 1, 2024, giving
these details and informing how it was meeting the demands raised by hospitals
across the state.
The
bench also directed the state government to expedite the recruitment to fill up
vacancies at hospitals.
"One-third
of posts are still lying vacant in hospitals across the state. There is an
urgent need to fill up all vacancies. We are of the opinion that the
recruitment process has to be expedited," the court said.
Saraf
told the court that there was no lack of effort from the government in
addressing the concerns raised by the court.
Most of the posts lying vacant in hospitals would be filled by the end
of December, and recruitment for some posts may take some more time, he said.