A division bench comprising Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar also sought data on vacancies for medical, paramedical, and non-medical staff in government hospitals and medical centers.
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Saturday (14th Dec) directed the Maharashtra government to provide detailed information regarding its budgetary allocation and expenditure on medical infrastructure in the state.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar also sought data on vacancies for medical, paramedical, and non-medical staff in government hospitals and medical centers.
The court was hearing multiple petitions, including one initiated suo motu, highlighting concerns over a surge in deaths at government hospitals in Nanded and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar districts last year.
The bench observed that petitioners had alleged the government failed to utilize allocated funds for procuring medical equipment and improving infrastructure. They further pointed out that numerous hospitals are struggling due to vacant positions across various categories of staff.
“We direct a responsible officer of the state government to file an affidavit detailing the total budgetary allocation and expenditure incurred. If funds remain unutilized, the affidavit must explain the reasons for the same,” the court stated. It also noted that previous orders had emphasized the urgency of filling these vacancies.
The court scheduled the next hearing for January 29.
