AURANGABAD: In a bid to silence mounting criticism over its lackadaisical approach to the kidney patients, the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) authorities shifted the dialysis unit to the Rs 10-crore modern nephrology and transplant unit on its premises on Wednesday. The government spent Rs 10 crore to build the state-of-the-art facility in Marathwada. The equipped building was completed last year but is lying unused due to absence of experts and required staff.

GMCH medical superintendent Suhas Jewlikar said the dialysis unit was functioning at the medicine department till now and was shifted to the new building on Wednesday. "Formally, the new building was inaugurated by acting dean Chhaya Diwan. The shifting of the dialysis unit from the medicine department was initiated," he said.

At present, the unit has one dialysis machine and other machines will be soon be set up at the building. The dialysis unit would be made fully functional in some days. Activists, however, criticized the administration for the move and called it eyewash.

"The building was constructed to serve poor patients with kidney ailments. Provision of infrastructure to perform kidney transplant was the objective behind setting up the facility," social activist Masihuddin Siddique said. The building was inaugurated with much fanfare in February 2014; albeit without the posts of nephrologists and urologists being sanctioned to run the units.

The inauguration was done days before the Lok Sabha elections code of conduct...