GMCH Nagpur is set to receive a linear accelerator for cancer radiation treatment after a seven-year delay, but the machine may remain unused unless a pending ₹2.75 crore power connection is sanctioned and installed. The equipment is expected to reach Mumbai on November 3 and could be transported to the government medical college in Nagpur during the second week of November, according to Times of India – Nagpur.
The accelerator will be installed at a newly constructed three-storey cancer hospital on the GMCH campus near the TB ward. The facility is also planned to accommodate advanced diagnostic equipment, including MRI and PET-CT scanners. The equipment will require a power supply of nearly 1 megavolt-ampere (MVA).
The required power connection was not included in the original construction proposal prepared by the Nagpur Metropolitan Region Development Authority, according to sources cited in the report. GMCH is now pursuing about ₹2.75 crore to fund the connection. Officials have expressed concern that the accelerator could remain non-operational even after installation if the funding and associated electrical work are not completed in time.
The delay is significant because GMCH currently lacks a modern linear accelerator and has been relying on a nearly 20-year-old cobalt machine for radiation therapy. A linear accelerator can provide more advanced radiation treatment than older cobalt equipment, but its operation depends on specialised infrastructure, including a high-capacity and reliable power supply.
The need for upgraded cancer treatment facilities at government medical colleges in Vidarbha had earlier prompted protests by Dr Krishna Kamble, the former head of GMCH’s cancer department. The issue also came before the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court during a public interest litigation concerning cancer care facilities at government medical colleges in the region.
Funding for the machine was sanctioned in 2018. The Social Justice and Special Assistance Department approved ₹20 crore in March that year, while the Tribal Development Department sanctioned a further ₹3.20 crore, taking the total allocation to ₹23.20 crore. However, the procurement process handled by the then Haffkine Bio-Pharmaceutical Corporation was not completed for seven years.
The prolonged procurement delay pushed the reported cost of the machine from ₹23.20 crore to around ₹35.82 crore. The court’s directions to procure the accelerator subsequently helped move the process forward, according to the report.
The expected arrival of the machine marks a major step for cancer services at GMCH, but it does not by itself complete the project. The pending electrical connection remains the immediate operational hurdle. GMCH’s next steps are to secure the ₹2.75 crore allocation, complete the power-related work and prepare the cancer hospital to receive and operate the accelerator alongside the planned diagnostic equipment.
