NEW DELHI: The Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG) report has come down heavily on the performance of AAP government’s health department with respect to the procurement, maintenance and use of medical equipments.
The audit report 2015 which tabled in the Delhi Assembly on Monday has said that a comprehensive plan for procurement of medical equipment had not been prepared either centrally in the department or at the level of individual hospitals.
“There was delay ranging upto two years in procurement and delivery of medical equipment though this activity was outsourced to an agency with the specific objective of eliminating such delays. An amount of Rs 60.65 lakh was paid to the agency as consultancy fee. Hospitals failed to impose penalty of Rs 95.84 lakh on defaulting suppliers for delayed supply of essential medical equipment. Advances of Rs 73.62 crore given to suppliers remained unadjusted from the year 2005 till date in hospitals test-checked,” the CAG said.
Hospitals procured items and consumables of Rs 3.16 crore in excess of their actual requirement, which were lying unused in stock for prolonged periods. The report said that 66 equipment valuing Rs 18.22 crore received during 2009-10 to 2014-15 were installed after delays ranging from one month to over two years. “A total 21 equipment costing Rs 83.17 lakh remained unutilized due to non-availability of accessories, regents and consumables for periods ranging between 15 days and over three years. Hospitals incurred an expenditure of Rs 94.78 lakh on repair of equipment that were under warranty. The hospitals neither invoked the warranty nor initiated action against the firms,” the report further pointed out.
The CAG also pointed out that health department has engaged HLL to procure equipments. During 2013-15, HLL received indents from 24 government hospitals/ institutes for procurement of 300 medical equipment of estimated value of Rs 183.87 crore. It placed procurement orders for 80 equipment valuing Rs 44.37 crore, but only 42 equipments costing Rs 35.09 crore were delivered to the hospitals as of August 2015 and remaining equipment were under various stages of the procurement process.
The working was marked with an inadequacy in planning, both at the central and individual level leading to delays in the delivery of medical equipment.
Plagued by ignorance and negligence, government hospitals in Delhi have failed to implement a useful strategy in the obtaining of medical consumables in line with their requirements with a whopping 3.16 crore lying in excess.