Nagpur’s Super Speciality Dental Care and Research Centre at Government Dental College and Hospital (GDCH) is expected to begin operations within three months after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis directed officials to complete the remaining construction, electrical work and equipment installation. The facility has been delayed despite its building being around 80% complete.
The direction followed Fadnavis’s review of pending projects at the Government Medical College campus. GDCH officials said they would ask civil and electrical officials of the Public Works Department to expedite the building’s handover so that the centre can become functional within the deadline.
The centre will bring six specialised dental departments under one roof: digital dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, oral implantology, sports dentistry, craniofacial surgery and forensic odontology. Officials described it as the country’s first super speciality dental care and research centre of its kind.
Some equipment has already been received and installation is under way. However, equipment to be procured through the District Planning Committee and state government funds is yet to arrive. Officials said installation and commissioning would have to be completed properly rather than rushed. Administrative approval has been granted for equipment procurement worth about Rs 3.89 crore through the District Planning Committee, while another Rs 3.43 crore has been sanctioned under the state plan. Procurement under both allocations is in progress.
The project was launched in 2019, with the foundation ceremony performed by Fadnavis and Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari on January 4 that year. Construction covers 4,770.12 square metres on land measuring about 22,002 square feet. Additional funds have been provided for electrical works, with administrative approval for the additional expenditure received on October 10, 2024.
The government has also sanctioned 91 posts for operating the centre. GDCH officials said 60 posts have been filled and recruitment for some of the remaining positions is under way. The staffing and equipment requirements are therefore being addressed alongside the completion and handover of the building.
GDCH, which has operated since 1968, treats at least 500 patients daily from Vidarbha and neighbouring parts of central India. It currently has 63 Bachelor of Dental Surgery seats and 24 Master of Dental Surgery seats, besides fellowship and PhD programmes, and holds NAAC A+ accreditation. The new centre is intended to provide advanced treatment for complex dental conditions while giving undergraduate and postgraduate students access to modern dental technologies.
Maharashtra has four government dental colleges, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation-run Nair Dental College and more than 30 private dental colleges. Once operational, the Nagpur centre is expected to expand specialised dental care, education and research capacity for patients from Vidarbha and central India. The next milestone is the completion of the remaining civil and electrical works, equipment commissioning and staffing before the three-month deadline.
