District admin’s efforts pave way as GMC Anantnag to get Rs 19.7 cr MRI facility
Anantnag, Apr 10: In a major relief for patients in south Kashmir, Government Medical College (GMC) Anantnag has been sanctioned a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) facility. The installation will be done by Power Grid Corporation of India Limited as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative.
The sanction follows a letter from Deputy Commissioner Anantnag, Syed Fakhrudin Hamid, addressed to the General Manager of Power Grid Corporation. The company has already signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with HLL Lifecare Limited for the supply and installation of the MRI machine. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 19.70 crore, and the scheduled completion date is December 31, 2025.
In a letter accessed by Greater Kashmir, POWERGRID confirmed the project, saying, "We hereby undertake and confirm that we will be fully responsible for the timely release of eligible payments to the contractors/suppliers for the works executed, goods supplied, and services rendered.
HLL will not be responsible for any claim whatsoever related to non-release or delay in release of payments to the supplier or contractor."
Earlier, in correspondence dated December 31, 2024, regarding the DC’s request for the MRI installation, POWERGRID was informed that GMC Anantnag had submitted Government e-Marketplace (GeM) quotations amounting to Rs 18 crore for a 1.5 Tesla MRI machine, as part of the CSR proposal.
This was considered a viable alternative if procuring a 3.0 Tesla MRI proved financially unfeasible. Patients across south Kashmir have long suffered due to the lack of an MRI facility in the region, often being forced to travel to private diagnostic centers in Srinagar, where scans cost between Rs 5,000 to Rs 8,000. GMC Anantnag, established in 2019, currently caters to hundreds of patients daily. Several patients are referred to tertiary care hospitals in Srinagar every week for MRI scans.
These referrals not only overburden our hospitals in Srinagar but also significantly increase treatment costs for the patients. However, now with the upcoming MRI facility, patients are expected to get much-needed diagnostic support and reduce both travel and financial strain.
Meanwhile, the district Administration has extended its gratitude to Power Grid Corporation of India Limited, its Chairman and Managing Director RK Tyagi, and Superintending Engineer South Kashmir, Er Altaf Khan, for their valuable support and sustained follow-up that helped bring the project to fruition.
