Vishav Bharti
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, July 2
A probe by the Punjab Health Systems Corporation (PHSC) in the alleged scam of purchase of hand sanitisers and N95 masks has found that both items were purchased at inflated rates.
‘Other options not explored’
- The inquiry report noted that PHSC’s procurement wing didn’t explore other cost-effective options tor procurement of sanitisers
- Earlier, the Director Procurement told the MD, PHSC, verbally that she was pressurised not to put forward other options
- When asked officially, the Director Procurement did not submit this on paper
The Financial Commissioner, Revenue, had ordered the probe taking cognisance of The Tribune reports on March 23 and April 19 this year. The reports had highlighted that the PHSC had purchased over 1.8 lakh sanitiser bottles for the Election Commission for just Rs 54.54 each; however for hospitals, 1.55 lakh bottles of the same sanitiser were bought at Rs 160 each. Similarly, the PHSC procured 4.87 lakh N95 masks at inflated rates as compared to the purchase done for the EC.
As per the documents accessed by The Tribune, the Managing Director, PHSC, has sent a report to the Secretary, Health, that both sanitisers and N95 masks seemed to have been purchased at inflated rates and without floating tenders. The PHSC has also recommended that it would be appropriate if both cases are scrutinised thoroughly at the government level.
Apart from this, officials at Controller of Stores and PHSC have been put in the dock. The file will now be sent to the CM for furthed action
As per the probe, the Director, Health Services, sent a demand of 20 items (for Covid purchase) on November 30, 2021. The PHSC floated tenders for all items except hand sanitisers. “Why sanitisers were not included in it?” the report questioned. It raised question why only proposal for the purchase at the Controller of Stores (CoS) rate was submitted on file by PHSC officials? “Why other options like previous rate of election purchase or re-tendering for better rate was not put up on the file.”
The probe junked PHSC officials’ claims that the supplier, who was given contract for supply of sanitisers for the EC, was not ready to supply such a huge amount. Similarly, it found that it would have been better if the already-framed specifications for N95 masks were sent to the DHS to know whether these met their requirements, as the rate contract was frozen for it.
PHSC officials responsible for the purchase at the inflated rate of Rs 10.40 tried to justify their act by saying that during peak requirement, a condition was added that a certificate from in-house BIS-approved lab was required.
Sanitisers, masks purchased at inflated rates, reveals PHSC probe
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