Nagpur: After a wait of seven years, Govt Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) is finally set to get a linear accelerator for radiation treatment of cancer patients. The machine is expected to reach Mumbai on Nov 3 and is likely to be transported to GMCH, Nagpur, in the second week of Nov. With funds for the required power connection yet to be sanctioned, the accelerator may take longer to get operational.A three-storey cancer hospital has been constructed on the GMCH campus near the TB ward. The facility is also planned to house advanced equipment including MRI and PET-CT scanners.The equipment will require a power supply of nearly 1 megavolt-ampere (MVA). Sources said the power connection was left out of the original construction proposal by Nagpur Metropolitan Region Development Authority (NMRDA), creating a fresh hurdle even as the equipment is finally being procured.The GMCH administration is pursuing funds of around ₹2.75 crore required for the power connection. Officials fear that unless the amount is sanctioned and the work completed on time, the linear accelerator could remain unused even after its installation.GMCH has been without a linear accelerator, forcing cancer patients to depend on a nearly 20-year-old cobalt machine for radiation therapy. The need for an advanced machine led former head of the cancer department Dr Krishna Kamble to stage protests.In March 2018, Social Justice and Special Assistance Department sanctioned ₹20 crore and Tribal Development Department another ₹3.20 crore, taking the total allocation to ₹23.20 crore. However, the then Haffkine Bio-Pharmaceutical Corporation failed to complete the procurement for seven years. The prolonged delay resulted in the cost of the machine rising from ₹23.20 crore to around ₹35.82 crore.The issue of cancer treatment facilities at govt medical colleges in Vidarbha came up during the hearing of a public interest litigation before the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court. Following the court’s directions to procure the linear accelerator, the process gained momentum.With the machine now expected to reach Nagpur next month, cancer patients may finally get access to modern radiation therapy at govt hospital.
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