Despite recommendation of the provincial procurement committee and directives of the Sindh secretary health, the Sindh accountant general could not release funds to public hospitals for medicines purchased for first quarter of fiscal year 2014-15, it was learned on Wednesday.
A senior official of the health department seeking anonymity said that the administration of hospitals being run by the health department had been facing great pressure from general public and also from medicine suppliers over shortage of drugs in public hospitals and non-clearance of medicines bills of suppliers.
He said shortage of medicines had badly affected the health delivery system in government hospitals, putting thousands of lives at stake in the province. He said in other hands, medicines suppliers had made the life of medical superintendents miserable due to delay in payments of earlier dues. Officials said there was acute shortage of life saving medicines in public hospitals and in case of any untoward incidence, the situation may take worst shape if the availability of drugs could not be ensured in healthcare centers.
He said earlier, the health department had established provincial procurement committee to purchase medicines in fair manners and withdraw the purchasing power of medical superintendents of government hospitals over complains of corruption.
But later, on the recommendation of provincial procurement committee, the health department had again powered the MSes to purchase medicines for three next month’s for government health institutions to avoid drug shortage in public healthcares due to delay in tender issue.
The provincial health secretary had written a letter to administrations of government hospitals to purchase medicines on previous year tender auction rates for first quarter of fiscal year 2014-15. The medical superintendents had purchased medicines worth millions of rupees on the directive of secretary health.
Now the accountant general had stopped the bills of public hospitals in account of medicines purchase due to legal bar that the drugs were purchased by heads of government health institutions without tender auction. On the other hand, medical superintendents has appealed to the secretary health and the accountant general to release funds of public hospitals to purchase medicines and to clear the dues of medicines suppliers as soon as possible to end the current crises. Secretary Health Iqbal Hussain Durrani was not available for comments despite repeated messages and calls.
Comments are closed.