*H&ME Deptt orders enquiry, forms committee to fix responsibility
Govind Sharma
JAMMU, Aug 25: Making mockery of procurement rules, the administration of Government Medical Colleges of Doda and Rajouri as well as GB Pant Hospital (GMC Srinagar) have purchased medical devices worth crores without the availability of funds, prompting the Health & Medical Education Department to initiate inquiry and form a committee to fix responsibility into these procurements which has created huge liabilities for the Government.
Official sources told Excelsior that during COVID times in the year 2021-22, the administration of GMC Rajouri had made some procurements amounting to about Rs 74 lakh for biomedical waste management from M/s VIGGO Medical Devices India Limited while they had only Rs 52 lakh available with them, thereby creating liabilities for the Department.
Likewise, sources said medical devices and other equipments worth Rs 2.2 crore were purchased by GMC Doda from M/s VIGGO Medical Devices India Limited in the year 2021-22 and devices amounting to approximately Rs 3 crore were procured by GB Pant Hospital (GMC Srinagar) in recent months from the same company and that too bypassing the J&K Medical Supplies Corporation Limited.
Sources said such large amount of purchases by these institutions without availability of funds has led to creation of liabilities worth crores on the Department and the company from which the procurement has been made, is now approaching the Department to clear their payments.
The entire matter, sources said, has been taken very seriously by the H&ME Department which has established a 3-member committee to investigate the matter and submit its report within 15 days. The Committee has been asked to investigate the reasons behind the procurement taking place outside the jurisdiction of JKMSCL.
The Committee has been tasked to identify the circumstances that led to the acquisitions from the supplier even in the absence of allocated funds. The Committee will examine the reasons for sidestepping the JKMSCL’s domain, which granted approval for such procurements, and whether the purchases were absolutely necessary for the hospitals/colleges, compelling the relevant officer(s) to proceed with acquisitions despite the lack of funds.
Headed by Managing Director of JKMSCL Pankaj Gupta and comprising of the Chief Accounts Officer from the Directorate of Health Services Jammu and an Accounts Officer from Associated Hospitals GMC Srinagar as its two members, the enquiry committee will scrutinize the officers/officials accountable for initiating requisitions for these items from the respective Principal/Medical Superintendent.
Further, the committee will evaluate the special reasons and necessity justifying procurement from the specified supplier. Additionally, the committee has been asked to assess whether the procurement process adhered to the guidelines outlined in the General Financial Rules of 2017.
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