'No Compromise On Cleanliness, Patient Food And Medicines In Govt Hospitals,' Says Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde insisted on stringent cleanliness, high-quality food and medicines in government hospitals, warning there would be no compromises on these three aspects. During a review meeting at Mantralaya, Public Health Minister Prakash Abitkar presented the details. Shinde urged officials to expedite the completion of incomplete hospital and health centre projects to provide rural residents with convenient access to quality healthcare.

He also called for active involvement from NGOs and industries via CSR initiatives to bolster primary health centres. Quality medicines and nutritious food must be supplied to patients in hospitals and primary health centres, the deputy CM emphasized. Women's self-help groups supplying patient meals required strict monitoring of their quality.

Shinde stressed cleanliness as the most crucial requirement, warning officials of strict action against those who fail to maintain prescribed standards. He directed officials to expand specialist medical services at rural hospitals to avoid patients traveling to cities for routine treatments. The department was also instructed to initiate discussions with the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board to establish sewage treatment facilities at hospitals, as per Central Pollution Control Board norms.

Proper treatment of biomedical waste was also highlighted as essential. Shinde stressed that healthcare should extend beyond hospitals to every citizen, focusing on preventive healthcare, strengthening primary health centres, modern technology, and patient-centric services. Health Department officials reported that over two crore women had been screened for cancer, hypertension, and diabetes under the "Swasth Nari, Sashakt Parivar" campaign, with more than one crore citizens, including 75.87 lakh women, screened.

Initiatives like the "Arunodaya" campaign screened 74.34 lakh people for sickle cell disease, identifying 2,376 new patients and 39,545 carriers. The Maharashtra Cabinet approved ₹80.12 crore for the Phase-II expansion of the Gadchiroli District Sports Complex. Work on 666 hospitals, health centres, and other health institutions is underway, with an allocation of ₹1,590 crore.

A star rating system has been introduced in hospitals to enhance the quality of medicines, diagnostic facilities, cleanliness, and patient experience. The emergency healthcare network will receive 1,756 new ambulances, with 350 added in the first phase. Shinde praised digital healthcare initiatives, including the Public Health Dashboard, Maharashtra Health Technology Mission, and Integrated Health Portal, which would benefit citizens and improve health sector monitoring.