New Delhi, June 5
The Delhi government on Wednesday handed over the entire responsibility of the procurement of medicines and medical devices in the hospitals to the Central Procurement Agency (CPA).
In a letter addressed to Secretary Health and Family Welfare at Delhi Secretariat, Director DGHS, and all MDMS, Atul Marwaha, OSD to Minister, said that the decision is a historic step towards making the healthcare system more effective and patient centric.
"The CPA is now designated as the sole agency responsible for the procurement of medicines, consumables, medical devices, machinery, equipment," the letter said.
Importantly, "procurement will be carried out by the CPA based on demands received from the respective hospitals/institutions/healthcare facilities in Delhi", it stated.
The decision comes as some hospitals and institutions were found to procure medical devices, and consumables, "through direct purchases or by using the cart feature on the Government e-Marketplace (GEM) portal", said the letter.
The practice inflated prices, price discrepancies, and also raised serious concerns of audit non-compliance.
As per the new order, all purchases of medical devices, any other consumables, machinery and equipment must be made exclusively through the e-procurement process.
It "strictly prohibited" hospitals to make direct purchases or cart-based procurement on the GeM portal.
"All demands and bidding processes shall be handled solely by the Central Procurement Agency (CPA). No hospital or institution is authorised to undertake cart purchases or initiate bidding directly. All procurement requirements and demands must be submitted to the CPA," the letter said.
However, in case of exceptional or emergency situations where immediate procurement via GeM cart is unavoidable, the concerned institution must submit the demand to the CPA.
The CPA will assess the urgency and coordinate procurement on behalf of the hospital.
"Any deviation from these directives will be viewed seriously and may result in disciplinary and/or legal action as deemed appropriate by the competent authority. This order is issued with the approval of the Minister, Health & Family Welfare, and is to be strictly implemented by all concerned officers and institutions," the letter said.
With the new decision, the doctors and medical staff will be able to focus their time and energy on patient care, rather than on administrative procedures.
It will also bolster patients care.
“This decision has been made in the interest of patients. Doctors will now be able to spend more time with patients, leading to a remarkable improvement in the quality of treatment," said a spokesperson for the Delhi Government.
