6 months ago
2
The State authorities is contemplating moving to a strategy of centralised and modular acquisition process for cardiac cath laboratory consumables for each cath labs successful the State’s nationalist wellness assemblage by purchasing these consumables straight from aesculapian devices firms done the Kerala State Medical Services Corporation (KMSC).
At a high-level gathering convened by Health Minister Veena George connected Wednesday, it was decided that a azygous and modular procurement process for cardiac consumables was required truthful that the distributors are not allowed to clasp the authorities to ransom connected a regular basis, threatening to disrupt the cardiac procedures successful nationalist assemblage hospitals by stopping the proviso of cardiac consumables.
The authorities has asked the KMSC to gully up and taxable the tender documents for the aforesaid wrong a week.
The Director of Medical Education (DME), superintendents of each authorities aesculapian colleges, and the district/general hospitals with cath labs nether the Directorate of Health Services (DHS) person been asked to supply each details regarding the mean request of cardiac consumables successful each institution, the procedures usually done and the contiguous procurement policies truthful that the KMSC tin intelligibly measure the State’s request earlier entering into treatment with aesculapian devices firms.
Given the immense yearly request of cardiac consumables successful the State, the authorities should beryllium capable to marque nonstop purchases from aesculapian devices firms astatine a overmuch little rate, it is believed.
“At present, idiosyncratic hospitals are purchasing cardiac consumables done assorted distributors. The bills of these distributors are cleared arsenic and erstwhile the authorities releases funds for the same. We person 14 cath labs nether the DME and different 10 nether the DHS. On an average, astatine slightest 15 procedures are done six days a week successful each cath laboratory and you tin conscionable measure the immense measurement of cardiac procedures that are done successful the State’s nationalist assemblage each year,” K.V. Vishwanathan, DME, said.
“It is existent that determination is simply a backlog successful payments to the tune of crores successful each instauration due to the fact that of the immense measurement of cardiac catheterisation procedures Kerala is doing, particularly nether the Karunya Arogya Suraksha Padhati (KASP). We person been negotiating with the distributors continuously for portion outgo of bills truthful that determination is nary disruption successful the proviso of consumables. However, the authorities reckons that the Chamber of Distributors of Medical Implants and Disposables crossed a enactment erstwhile they “forcibly” took distant the cardiac consumables stocks from the Kottayam Government Medical College the different day, “creating a scene.” This was unprecedented,” Dr. Vishwanathan said.
Ms. George earlier went connected grounds to authorities that the distributors had “a wide agenda” to demean and represent the authorities successful a atrocious light, erstwhile they had earlier agreed during negotiations that they would not disrupt the functioning of cath labs successful authorities hospitals. She alleged that the distributors had adjacent tried to meddle with the government’s attempts to acquisition cardiac consumables done HLL Lifecare.
The authorities has present issued an bid sanctioning ₹250 crore to the State Health Agency for portion outgo of pending bills nether the KASP, truthful that the contiguous situation tin beryllium resolved. At present, the authorities owes implicit ₹1,200 crore to assorted nationalist hospitals arsenic reimbursement for escaped attraction fixed nether the KASP.
