Gadgil recently purchased infra-red thermometers worth Rs 7 lakh for doctors and nurses of PMC who conduct door-to-door surveys to identify Covid-19 patients.

Following the example set by Congress leader and Member of Legislative Council (MLC), Anant Gadgil, who has spent a major chunk of local area development funds to improve infrastructure in health facilities, 12 legislators in the city have sanctioned over Rs 4.30 crore from their local area development funds to the Pune Municipal Corporation to boost medical facilities during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Gadgil recently purchased infra-red thermometers worth Rs 7 lakh for doctors and nurses of PMC who conduct door-to-door surveys to identify Covid-19 patients. He also spent Rs 9 lakh to purchase and install ‘healh kiosks’ at Dr Ambedkar Hospital in Khadki, Sardar Patel Hospital in Pune Camp and Shivashankar Pote Nursing Home in Padmavati.

Now, city MP Girish Bapat and legislators Siddarth Shirole, Mukta Tilak, Madhuri Misal, Chandrakant Patil, Sunil Tingre and Chetan Tupe have sanctioned local area development funds of Rs 50 lakh each while Bhimrao Tapkir sanctioned Rs 25.25 lakh, Sharad Ranpise and Neelam Gorhe sanctioned Rs 20 lakh each and Mahadev Jankar sanctioned Rs 10 lakh.

The PMC has so far spent Rs 3.32 crore of the sanctioned Rs 4.38 crore to purchase 8,300 N-95 masks, 11,690 PPE kits,10,300 VTM kits, 10,000 bottles of hand santizer, 156 infrared thermometers, 10,000 sterile surgical gloves and 1 lakh face masks.

“I have always prefered to spend local area development funds on health facilities, and in the field of education…,” said Gadgil.

The MLC has earlier procured a ‘mobile ICU’, a specialised ambulance, for the Indian Army’s hospital in Kondhwa at a cost of Rs 23 lakh, and ventilators for the ICU at the children’s ward of Sassoon Hospital at a cost of Rs 12 lakh.

He also got cataract surgery and eye check-up machines for Sardar Patel Hospital in Pune camp and Walse-Patil Hospital in Bopodi by spending Rs 30 lakh.