Games purchases: Did health dept flout norms?
In new findings of the ongoing probe in the Commonwealth Games-related financial irregularities, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) interim report on medical purchases for the Commonwealth Games says that the Delhi health department bought equipment worth crores of rupees for the Games. However, many of these
purchases were undertaken by flouting norms and at rates much higher than the market prices. A copy of the report states that even doctors falsified documents to show equipment which may not have even arrived.
Shockingly, most of this equipment came after the Games were over and some of it like the emergency trolley beds and ICU beds are yet to be installed, points out the CAG report.
The `5 crores-emergency block for sportspersons at Delhi’s Govind Ballabh Pant hospital was completed a month after the Games. The report says a team of doctors gave false documents to hide the real date of completion.
The interim report further states that 68 ice machines for treating sports injuries were bought at a cost higher than the maximum retail price, leading to a loss of over `23 lakhs. The directorate of health services of Delhi government and Lok Nayak hospital bought medical equipment of more than `6 crores against all norms, without an open tender, states the report adding that the director of health services waited till the end so that he could justify the purchases without a tender as a last-minute decision. “Eleven firms failed to deliver medical equipment worth `4 lakhs but no action was taken against them,” also states the report. Before the Games started, there were media reports carried as to how the director of health services was going to buy medical equipment at five times the cost. After the media reports the purchase was stopped and is right now being probed by the CVC and CBI.
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