Medicine purchase at Hamirpur hospital comes under scrutiny

Dinesh Kanwar

Hamirpur, July 28

The process for the purchase of essential medicines at Dr Radhakrishnan Government Medical College and Hospital here has come under scrutiny. The tender process to procure medicines has been delayed by over six months.

Essential medicines worth around Rs 2 crore were purchased for the medical college for supply to patients free of cost under the National Health Mission through the Rogi Kalyan Samiti. Sources said that the tender process was allegedly delayed to facilitate the purchase of medicines from the retail market at a higher price.

Meanwhile, the matter was brought to the notice of the Deputy Commissioner Hemraj Bairwa and he directed Dr Ramesh Bharti, Principal of the medical college, to submit a report regarding the purchase of medicines from the retail market. Reliable sources in the medical college revealed that there was a provision for the retail purchase of medicines under special circumstances up to 10 per cent of the annual budget where the limit had already been exhausted.

It was alleged that the hospital authorities deliberately delayed the tender process though all documents were ready.