KAKINADA: The Hyderabad High Court has directed the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) to conduct an inquiry within four weeks into allegations against officials of the Medical and Health department regarding utilisation of National Health Mission funds.
The court directive follows a public interest litigation (PIL), filed by Prajadhana Pariraksana Samithi president Indukuri Venkata Ramaraju, alleging misappropriation of crores of rupees in maintenance of equipment and machinery in State-run hospitals across Andhra Pradesh.
In this regard, the ACB has sent a notice to the District Medical and Health Officer, East Godavari district, seeking details such as biomedical equipment available in hospitals in the district as on November 1, 2015, invoice copies and payments made to the supplier, repairs and maintenance carried out by the Telematic and Biomedical Services (TBS) of Bangalore and equipment declared ‘beyond economically viable’ repair.
The notice issued by the deputy superintendent of police, Central Investigation Unit of ACB, Vijayawada, also sought copies of service satisfaction certificates issued by superintendents of hospitals.
The ACB reportedly served notices on all DMHOs in the State as part of the inquiry.
The State has 1,165 Primary Health Centers, 195 Community Health Centres, 31 Area Hospitals, 8 District Hospitals and 11 Government Teaching Hospitals. The government earlier invited tenders for maintenance of machinery and equipment in hospitals in 2015.
Kirloscar Technology, Radimage Technologies, Zimtech Software and TBS Medical Services were in race for the contract and the TBS firm bagged the contract.
The government had paid `11 crore as mobilisation advance to the TBS, as per the details gathered by the ACB. There have been allegations that the firm bagged the contract because of blessings of influential people in the political and bureaucratic circles.
On February 20 this year, key equipment in teaching, district and area hospitals across 13 districts were out of order. Prior to 2017, hospital authorities used to engage biomedical engineers for repairs and spare parts were purchased using Hospital Development Society funds.
The government’s decision to enter into a contract with the TBS created confusion as the responsibility of maintaining equipment was taken by the donors themselves.
Equipment donated to the Kakinada GGH by Coromandel Fertilizers, Rotary and Lions Club have remained dysfunctional as neither the staff of TBS nor authorities have clarity on who should repair them, said officials.
Embezzlement
The ACB asks DMHO of East Godavari to provide details relating to biomedical equipment
Reportedly, the ACB served notices on all DMHOs as part of the inquiry
The move comes after a PIL was filed in the HC alleging missappropriation of funds