Bhopal
A team of Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare visited Bhopal on Thursday to investigate allegations of procurement at high prices of drugs at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhopal. The team examined the documents related to the drug procurement and met senior management officials including AIIMS Director Dr. Ajay Singh for about four hours and inquired about the purchase process.
This case was raised by Bhopal MP Alok Sharma in a meeting of AIIMS Standing Finance Committee. MP Sharma said in a conversation with ‘Aaj Tak’ that he is a member of the Standing Committee as an MP and had a complaint that the injection was purchased at the rate of Rs 2100 per nine in Bhopal AIIMS, while the same injection at Raipur AIIMS in Chhattisgarh was purchased at Rs 425 and Delhi AIIMS was purchased at Rs 285 per night. The prices of other drugs were also higher in Bhopal AIIMS than other AIIMS.
BJP MP Sharma said that Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava was present in the meeting of the Standing Committee held at construction building in Delhi on 15 May. In this meeting, he informed about the complaint of drug procurement at high prices at Bhopal AIIMS, after which investigation was assured.
It is alleged that Bhopal AIIMS has not followed the central government’s drug procurement rules (GFR 2017) since the Korona period and bought medicines directly through Amrit Pharmacy. Amrit Pharmacy was allowed to buy medicines only in emergency, not for complete supply. All other AIIMS buys medicines through direct tenders, but Bhopal AIIMS is the only institute that purchases the whole of Amrit Pharmacy and does not follow the GFR rules.
Lok Sabha member Alok Sharma said that like other government hospitals, the drug should be supplied through tenders in AIIMS, but the approval of direct purchase given for emergency during the Corona period was misused. Despite the end of the Korona period, direct purchase continued, the figure of which reached crores. Emergency supply of 10-15 lakhs earlier reached 2-3 crores in the Kovid period, but in the last three years it has increased to 25-60 crores, which is a sign of major corruption.
The action taken by the investigation team of the Union Ministry of Health in this matter is expected to expect transparency in the drug procurement process in Bhopal AIIMS and follow the rules.
