
Telecobalt machines found lying idle for months: CAG
Inordinate delay in undertaking turnkey works resulted in non-installation of telecobalt machines - the new imported machines delivered at Dharmapuri and Tiruvannamalai GMCHs were lying idle for 15 months and 36 months respectively and the machine for Pudukkottai GMCH had reached Chennai Port in November 2021 but was not delivered to the hospital as of June 2024.
In its audit report (compliance audit) for the year ending March 2023 that was tabled in the Assembly, the CAG said that to ensure sufficient treatment facilities for patients diagnosed with cancer, the National Health Mission sanctioned ₹57 crore in three installments (in 2018 and 2019) to the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC) for replacement of telecobalt machines in 10 GMCHs and for establishing four new telecobalt centres with bunkers in four GMCHs. In addition, the State government, in 2017, sanctioned ₹3 crore for purchase of a new cobalt therapy unit to Government Arignar Anna Memorial Cancer Hospital, Karapettai.
The TNMSC placed orders for supply and installation of the machines in 15 medical institutions of which 10 were commissioned and patient treatment commenced between August 2021 and October 2023. In the remaining institutions, machines supplied to four hospitals - Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, GMCHs in Tiruvannamalai, Dharmapuri and Karapettai facility - between February 2021 and March 2023 - were not installed, while the machine for GMCH Pudukottai was not supplied till June 2024.
It also observed that TNMSC had failed in ensuring supply of the Treatment Planning System - an essential part of radiation treatment planning - by the supplier resulting in non-commencement of life-saving treatment for patients in five institutions.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Hans India
3 days ago
- Hans India
Hospital Asset Tracking in India: Solving a ₹1.8 Crore Problem
A single Indian hospital can lose over ₹1.8 crore a year—not from surgeries gone wrong or billing disputes, but simply from patients getting lost and assets vanishing into storerooms. Nurses—India's most overworked frontline caregivers—can lose up to 60 minutes per shift just searching for equipment. These aren't isolated issues. And most hospitals have no system in place to fix them. The Hidden Costs Draining Indian Hospitals Rising costs in healthcare aren't always about advanced machinery or doctor salaries. Many of India's private hospitals are silently losing lakhs every year because of invisible inefficiencies. Nurses waste up to 60 minutes per shift searching for equipment. Mobile medical devices like ECGs and oxygen cylinders go missing due to lack of tracking systems. Patients miss appointments after getting lost in multi-building campuses. Over-ordering of equipment happens due to poor visibility into what already exists. These aren't one-off problems—they are systemic leaks in the engine. How Much Time Do Nurses Lose Searching for Equipment? A report in Nursing Times shows that nurses lose 30–60 minutes per shift just finding medical equipment. For a 300-bed facility with 100 nurses, that adds up to over 50,000 hours of wasted skilled time each year. At a conservative ₹200/hour, that's ₹1 crore in annual productivity lost—not on patient care, but on chasing items like IV pumps or monitors. Now imagine recovering even 80% of that time through a real-time asset tracking system for hospitals. That's more healing, less hunting. Why Hospitals Keep Losing Expensive Equipment According to studies in both U.S. and Indian hospitals, 10–20% of mobile assets are lost or stolen over their lifecycle. In India, this often includes: Oxygen cylinders ECG machines Stretchers Patient monitors The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) found that in Kerala alone, medical equipment worth ₹7.28 crore was left unused due to mismanagement or lack of trained staff. And because hospitals can't track these assets, they over-order backup stock—leading to utilisation rates as low as 50%, compared to an industry ideal of 75–80%. This is a classic case of capital sitting idle while the system keeps spending. What is RTLS? Why Smart Hospitals in India Are Adopting It Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) are indoor navigation and positioning systems that allow hospitals to: Track the location of assets and staff Guide patients through large campuses Reduce appointment no-shows Improve response time in emergencies However, most RTLS solutions require Wi-Fi, Bluetooth beacons, or expensive infrastructure—which makes them impractical for many Indian hospitals. Solution- A Hardware-Free RTLS System As hospitals search for indoor navigation systems that work without Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, or explore RTLS solutions tailored for Indian settings, one trend stands out: the shift toward hardware-free, softwar++++e-driven platforms. One such system gaining traction is Mapsted, which operates without external beacons or routers. Instead, it uses smartphone sensors and passive tags—making it more compatible with India's dense, multilingual, and often infrastructure-constrained hospital environments. Mapsted's RTLS works directly through smartphones and passive tags—making it: Cheaper to deploy Easier to maintain More suited to India's dense OPDs and multilingual patient base Hospitals using Mapsted's location-based platform have seen: Increased patient throughput Fewer missed appointments Reduction in lost equipment Over 2,000 staff hours saved annually Smart Navigation Is Not a Fancy Add-On—It's Infrastructure India's healthcare system is under pressure: rising medical costs, growing patient volumes, and a shrinking skilled workforce. To solve these challenges, hospitals must stop thinking of smart navigation and hospital asset tracking as 'nice to have' technologies. They are foundational tools for: Cutting operational losses Improving staff productivity Making better use of every rupee invested By choosing a solution like Mapsted's hardware-free RTLS system, hospitals don't just save money—they transform how healthcare works.


The Hindu
30-06-2025
- The Hindu
INDIA bloc will introduce medical plan worth ₹25 lakh in Bihar too: Gehlot
Former Chief Minister of Rajasthan and National General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), Ashok Gehlot, said on Monday (June 30, 2025) that the Chiranjeevi scheme introduced by the Congress in Rajasthan will be implemented in Bihar as soon as the INDIA bloc forms the government. He promised free treatment up to ₹25 lakh. Mr. Gehlot was addressing the media at the Congress office in Patna. He slammed the Bihar government, alleging that the health system in the state is in bad condition. Citing the CAG report, he said that Bihar's poor health system has been exposed. 'As soon as the INDIA bloc government is formed in Bihar, the Chiranjeevi scheme will be implemented on the lines of the Congress scheme in Rajasthan, and people of all income groups will be given free treatment up to ₹25 lakh in government and private hospitals,' Mr. Gehlot said. Right to Health Act He pointed out that the Right to Health Act was created in Rajasthan and had provisions for free treatment in all emergency situations. Mr. Gehlot proudly said that the Congress government in Rajasthan had reduced common people's burden and made insurance coverage accessible. Chiranjeevi Bima Yojana included health insurance of ₹10 lakh and accident insurance of ₹5 lakh. This scheme provided free medicines for 5 days before hospitalisation and 15 days after discharge. Speaking on the poor condition of health facilities in Bihar, Mr. Gehlot said that the state is beset by serious diseases, and there are neither hospitals, nor proper doctors, nor medicines in Bihar. Referencing the recent CAG report, Mr. Gehlot said, 'There is a huge shortage of medical staff here. Out of the total 59,168 sanctioned posts, only 23,851 posts are filled, which means 60% posts are vacant. Similarly, 89% of posts for Ayush doctors are vacant. There is a huge shortage of paramedical staff, and 79% of posts are vacant.' He further said, 'There is a huge shortfall in specialist doctors. There are only 1,580 specialist doctors against 5,081 posts. There is a shortage of health sub-centres, PHCs and sub-divisional hospitals. There is also a shortage of beds in district hospitals, sub-divisional hospitals, and primary health centres.' Accompanied by Bihar Congress in-charge Krishna Allavaru and Bihar Congress president Rajesh Kumar, the former CM stressed that Bihar faces a huge shortage of lab equipment ranging from 25% to 100%, and only 54% of lab technicians are employed. Budgetary apathy Speaking on the negligence in the budget, he claimed that out of ₹69,790 crore from 2016 to 2022, only 69% has been spent by the Bihar government, and ₹21,743 crore remained unused. Mr. Allavaru also attacked the condition of the health system, alleging that the present government has made Bihar a sick state. 'The people of Bihar are experiencing a huge failure of health services. The government of Trouble Engine in Bihar has put the health system in the ICU,' Mr. Allavaru said. Bihar Congress chief alleged even emergency patients do not get beds and proper health care in PMCH (Patna Medical College and Hospital), the biggest hospital in the state. On Sunday (June 29, 2025), senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Digvijay Singh took a dig at the Bihar CM, saying that the education system was ruined in the state.


The Hindu
20-06-2025
- The Hindu
T.N. government initiates steps to roll out HPV vaccination for girls aged 14
: Moving ahead to implement its budget announcement, Tamil Nadu has initiated the process to procure Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines for girls aged 14. This is to prevent cervical cancer, which is the second most common cancer in women. The Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC) has floated tenders for the procurement, and the supply is most likely to reach hospitals in another three months. One of the key budget announcements for 2025-2026, the State government plans to progressively provide HPV vaccination to all girls aged 14 years. It allocated ₹36 crore for the purpose. In line with this announcement, the Health Department constituted a State Advisory Committee in April for the rollout of the HPV vaccination programme. The committee, which has the Health Secretary as its chairperson, comprises officials and experts. The directors of School Education, Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Medical and Rural Health Services, Medical Education and Research, Institute of Child Health, and Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology are among its members. Experts, including those in the field of HPV vaccination projects, and representatives from technical/partner agencies are also a part of the committee. 'The State Advisory Committee has discussed all modalities, including protocols for vaccination. Based on its recommendations, we have gone ahead with the procurement of vaccines. The TNMSC has floated the tenders to procure them,' T.S. Selvavinayagam, Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, said. He added that the programme would be initiated by vaccinating girl aged 14 (students of Class IX) in government and government-aided schools. 'Prior to vaccination, we will start creating awareness among children and their family members,' he said. Another official said it would take another three months for the supply to reach hospitals. Cancer Institute (WIA), in a year of launching its HPV vaccination initiative at its screening centre at Villupuram Government Hospital and Chennai, has so far administered around 3,500 doses of HPV vaccine, according to Jayashree Natarajan, Gynaecologic Oncologist and Associate Professor, Cancer Institute (WIA). 'The numbers are more in Chennai owing to high awareness levels,' she said. Cervical cancer is the second most common among women after breast cancer. However, it is still the most prevalent cancer in some rural areas, she said, adding: 'Vaccination is not going to prevent cervical cancer alone. It will prevent pre-invasive lesions that progress to cancer.' There are no concerns regarding the safety of the vaccines, she says. 'HPV vaccination programmes have been implemented in places such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. These countries have brought down the cervical cancer rates through screening and vaccination,' Dr. Jayashree said.