THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Aiming to make the health department’s drug procurement more transparent, Health Minister K Muraleedharan has directed the elimination of middlemen from the tender process, allowing companies to directly participate in the tender.
The move is to ensure that people have access to quality branded medicines and that the operations of Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd (KMSCL) are transparent.
At a review meeting held on Saturday, the minister said that the issues related to medicine shortages in various hospitals across the state should be addressed at the earliest.
“We have found that several companies that received purchase orders manufacture medicines exclusively for KMSCL. Medicines supplied to the government sector in at least two states will be eligible for procurement in Keralam. It should be procured at prices lower than those paid by the in-house drug bank of Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital.
The procurement prices should be published on the website. Middlemen should not be allowed entry into KMSCL or be given any form of remuneration,” the minister said, adding that companies currently charging high prices will be excluded from the tender process.
According to him, if a medicine supplied to KMSCL is found to be substandard, the company will be permanently blacklisted.
The meeting also decided to begin the tender process of medicines for the next year, in October and will be completed by December. The medicines are expected to be supplied by February 2027.