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The ministry of health is exploring means to recover Nu 70-80 million worth of partial, defective and non-supplied medical equipment from its two suppliers based in India.
A committee of six officials was formed after the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) recommended the ministry to study the government of India-funded supply of medical equipment.
The committee members visited three referral hospitals, 21 district hospitals and 18 grade-I basic health units from January to March, to review the equipment, and made a presentation to the ministry on April 5.
A member of the committee said the health ministry received about Nu 300M in 2007 to buy medical equipment for the referral hospitals in Thimphu and Mongar; and ACC, after reviewing the procurement of medical equipment, recommended the ministry to study the procurement procedure, and put in place an internal control mechanism to make it transparent and accountable. “Of the Nu 300M, Nu 200M was for JDWNRH and Nu 100M was for Mongar regional hospital,” he said.
The official also said that the ministry is exploring means to make the two suppliers supply all the equipment.
Citing an example, officials said the Thimphu national referral hospital and Mongar regional referral hospital received only six operation theatre lights of the 12 ordered. The official said that the health ministry had to recover the other six OT lights. “There are defective and partial equipment supply in physiotherapy and pediatrics department also,” he said. “We have to recover that too.”
But, with the two suppliers refusing to respond to calls and messages, the ministry is planning to send a team to talk and solve the problem.
“The two suppliers were frightened after ACC arrested and detained them,” an official said, adding, “We should have first recovered the supplies and then taken appropriate action.”
The committee also pointed out that there were inefficiencies in drugs procurement and supply division. “We streamlined the whole process to make it transparent,” an official said.
BHUs and district hospitals would now maintain an equipment inventory register, a log book to record how many times a particular equipment had been used and the problems it gives.
Unlike in the past, where the ministry decided and procured medical equipment for all hospitals, the district hospitals would identify, specify and quantify the health equipment needed in the particular district hospital and BHUs. “This is a major change in the procurement system that would save a lot of government budget,” an official said.
A committee member said the finding indicated that there is inefficiency at various levels in health system, but corruption is not institutionalised. “Those who have accused the ministry of institutionalised corruption, should be able to prove it,” the committee’s chairman, Dr Ugyen Dophu, said.
He said a few individuals are corrupted and they have been charged by ACC. “A few might be caught again, but that doesn’t necessarily mean everyone in the ministry is corrupted.”
Source: Kuenselonling
A committee of six officials was formed after the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) recommended the ministry to study the government of India-funded supply of medical equipment.
The committee members visited three referral hospitals, 21 district hospitals and 18 grade-I basic health units from January to March, to review the equipment, and made a presentation to the ministry on April 5.
A member of the committee said the health ministry received about Nu 300M in 2007 to buy medical equipment for the referral hospitals in Thimphu and Mongar; and ACC, after reviewing the procurement of medical equipment, recommended the ministry to study the procurement procedure, and put in place an internal control mechanism to make it transparent and accountable. “Of the Nu 300M, Nu 200M was for JDWNRH and Nu 100M was for Mongar regional hospital,” he said.
The official also said that the ministry is exploring means to make the two suppliers supply all the equipment.
Citing an example, officials said the Thimphu national referral hospital and Mongar regional referral hospital received only six operation theatre lights of the 12 ordered. The official said that the health ministry had to recover the other six OT lights. “There are defective and partial equipment supply in physiotherapy and pediatrics department also,” he said. “We have to recover that too.”
But, with the two suppliers refusing to respond to calls and messages, the ministry is planning to send a team to talk and solve the problem.
“The two suppliers were frightened after ACC arrested and detained them,” an official said, adding, “We should have first recovered the supplies and then taken appropriate action.”
The committee also pointed out that there were inefficiencies in drugs procurement and supply division. “We streamlined the whole process to make it transparent,” an official said.
BHUs and district hospitals would now maintain an equipment inventory register, a log book to record how many times a particular equipment had been used and the problems it gives.
Unlike in the past, where the ministry decided and procured medical equipment for all hospitals, the district hospitals would identify, specify and quantify the health equipment needed in the particular district hospital and BHUs. “This is a major change in the procurement system that would save a lot of government budget,” an official said.
A committee member said the finding indicated that there is inefficiency at various levels in health system, but corruption is not institutionalised. “Those who have accused the ministry of institutionalised corruption, should be able to prove it,” the committee’s chairman, Dr Ugyen Dophu, said.
He said a few individuals are corrupted and they have been charged by ACC. “A few might be caught again, but that doesn’t necessarily mean everyone in the ministry is corrupted.”
Source: Kuenselonling
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