Submit details of funds for under construction Cancer Institute: HC to SKIMS

The High court on Tuesday directed director Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) to furnish details of funds sanctioned and released by Government of India for setting up Regional Cancer Center (RCC) at the Institute. 

Hearing Public Interest Litigation, a division bench of Justice Ali Muhammad Magrey and Justice Sanjeev Kumar sought the status with regard to utilization of funds by March 19, the next date of hearing. 

   

The court also sought details of the progress made in setting up of the Cancer Institute at SKIMS.

The directions came after the court heard advocate Syed Musaib, on behalf of the petitioner, and additional advocate general Shah Aamir who represented the SKIMS. 

Advocate Musaib submitted that union ministry of health and family welfare has, under Tertiary Cancer Centre Scheme of National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDS), approved setting up of the Cancer Institute at SKIMS at an estimated cost of Rs 120 crore, with state-center share of 90:10.

He submitted that out of 120 crores, Rs 47. 25 crores were sanctioned and released as first installment by the ministry during 2014-15 through the state government for purchasing various equipments and undertaking civil works.

“Out of 47 crores, they have utilized only Rs 7 crores,” he said.

The SKIMS, Musaib said, was required to submit utilization certificate for getting 2nd installment of funds released from union ministry by March 2019.

“They have not produced utilization certificate of first installment, so how can they get the second installment. The funds are bound to lapse,” he said.

Rabia Khurshid, a cancer patient has filed Public Interest Litigation in the Court seeking directions for setting up of facilities for treatment o the cancer patients, including operation theatres, in the cancer institute.

“The number of cancer patients has increased considerably and on an average a patient has to wait for six weeks for the surgery. This wait can prolong further in keeping with the exigencies as the doctors have to fix priority for a surgery,” she pleaded.

She said the patients die while waiting for surgeries. Jammu and Kashmir, she contended, has witnessed an unprecedented 87 percent rise in cancer cases during last seven years.

In its status report, the SKIMS had revealed that surgeries for various cancers are done by the respective surgical departments all over the world and the same procedure was also followed at the SKIMS.

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