A current audit has dropped at gentle important irregularities within the procurement practices of the Chhattisgarh State Medical Companies Company Restricted. The audit, masking the monetary years 2022-23 and 2023-24, reveals that medical gear and reagents value ₹660 crores had been acquired with none corresponding price range allocation. This revelation comes from a letter by the Accountant Normal to the Well being Division, solely obtained by NDTV.
Key Findings of the Audit
The audit discovered that the company bought medical gear and reagents, distributing them to 776 main well being care (PHC) amenities. Shockingly, greater than 350 of those PHCs lacked the mandatory technical manpower and storage amenities to successfully make the most of the gear.
Moreover, the audit highlighted that the Director of Well being Companies positioned orders for these things with out conducting important baseline surveys or hole analyses to evaluate the particular wants of every facility. The distribution was uniform throughout all PHCs, ignoring variations in affected person load and particular necessities. This indiscriminate procurement has resulted in high-value gear sitting idle, with the danger of degradation within the high quality of reagents.
Floor Report
At Bhatgaon Major Well being Heart in Raipur, subtle gear like sonography and X-ray machines had been procured however stay non-operational as a result of absence of specialist medical doctors. Dr. Harshita Tekam from the PHC famous that whereas primary providers resembling first support and blood strain monitoring can be found, superior machines can’t be used till specialists are appointed.
At Urla Major Well being Heart, quite a few chairs are unused as a result of house constraints. Naresh Sahu, President of the Paramedical Affiliation, criticized the procurement technique, emphasizing that affected person admission ought to have been prioritized over buying costly gear. He cited the instance of an ₹18 crore PET SCAN Gamma machine bought in 2018 for the capital’s largest hospital, which stays non-functional.
Official Response
The Principal Accountant Normal has referred to as for a complete audit involving the Chhattisgarh State Medical Companies Company, the Director of Well being Companies, the Nationwide Well being Mission, and field-level healthcare amenities. The audit goals to uncover the extent of mismanagement and guarantee accountability.
This revelation raises severe questions concerning the effectivity and transparency of the procurement processes within the state’s healthcare system. Because the investigation proceeds, the cooperation of all related amenities has been requested to facilitate an intensive audit.
