The Delhi High Court issued a very serious observation regarding the presence of imported medical devices worth about 50-60 crore rupees in Delhi's government hospitals that are not being used. The court pointed out that the reason for this situation is a shortage of staff and the lack of necessary accessories.
This remark was made during a self-initiated hearing concerning the availability of intensive care unit beds with ventilators and the functioning of emergency help lines in Delhi's government hospitals. The court directed officials to ensure sufficient personnel to operate the medical equipment. It also ordered that unused machines be redirected to hospitals where they are needed, and that missing equipment or accessories be provided immediately.
The court described this situation as extremely surprising, emphasizing that all these devices are imported. Special attention was paid to the situation at the Delhi Cancer Institute, where these devices present a shocking picture. The cancer institute was named as having the most critical situation.
Following the High Court's comment, Aaj Tak correspondent Sushant Mehra inspected the state of medical equipment at the Delhi Cancer Institute. On site, it was found that a medical cyclotron purchased in 2016 had not been operational since 2022. This machine, bought for a huge sum, is used to create FDG (fluorodeoxyglucose), which is necessary for PET scans of patients. FDG, produced in the medical cyclotron, is a radiopharmaceutical administered to patients during PET scans. Due to the prolonged downtime of the medical cyclotron, PET scan services at the Delhi Cancer Institute have reportedly suffered since 2022. The correspondent also examined the situation inside the medical cyclotron department.
Discussing this entire matter with the Delhi Health Minister, Dr. Pankaj Singh, the Aaj Tak correspondent learned that he accused the Aam Aadmi Party government of purchasing expensive medical machines during their tenure. The minister stated that they have maintained from the beginning that the Aam Aadmi Party government acquired the machines for huge sums. He added that the government is investigating the entire matter, and equipment that can be used following the High Court's order is already being put into operation. According to the minister, there was previously a deficit of about 21 percent of staff in Delhi's government hospitals, but a large number of employees have been recruited since the current government took office.
He also reported that the government is working to make CT scan, MRI, and ultrasound services available 24/7 under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model soon. The Health Minister also mentioned the anti-corruption unit case registered in 2024. He stated that numerous violations were uncovered during the investigation, and about 15 companies involved in the case have been blacklisted. According to the minister, a committee has been formed to investigate the case, and he mentioned the arrest of the owner of one of the associated companies, stating that appropriate action will be taken against him.
From the petition submitted to the Delhi High Court, it became known that Delhi's government hospitals possess expensive medical devices that are not in use. Medical equipment purchased for large sums lies idle in various Delhi hospitals. Among them are machines purchased during the COVID-19 pandemic, non-functional systems, and equipment unused due to staff shortages. It was reported that hundreds of machines in Delhi hospitals are not working. 26 hospitals provided information on their status, which the Delhi government presented to the High Court through a petition.
The Department of Nuclear Medicine at the Delhi Cancer Institute has three expensive devices that are either unused or completely non-functional. The PET-Trace 10 medical cyclotron, purchased in 2017, cost 2.532 million US dollars. Additionally, 64 lakh rupees were spent on local materials, and 2.5 crore rupees on turking costs. This apparatus is currently unused due to staff shortages. The Computed Tomograph with integrated multi-detector/multislice CT scanner, purchased in 2021, cost 2.479 million US dollars, with 65.38 lakh rupees spent on local materials. Its CT part is in use, while the PET part awaits testing by Nema and is under evaluation. The dual-head gamma camera with spectrum, purchased in 2017, cost 1.3515 million US dollars, with 26.68 lakh rupees spent on local materials. This apparatus is currently unused and non-operational. An evaluation of this equipment is underway. The Cancer Institute's Molecular Oncology department has 32 devices registered.
