Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 26 (PTI) Keralam Health Minister K Muraleedharan on Monday said the state government has directed a Vigilance probe into the alleged misuse of public funds in the purchase of medical equipment for government hospitals during the Covid-19 pandemic and other periods.
Replying to a submission by MLA Abin Varkey in the Assembly regarding the procurement of low-quality medical equipment for government hospitals, the minister said complaints had been received that equipment purchased with public money was substandard, left uninstalled, or remained unused for long periods.
The government viewed the wastage of public funds seriously, particularly when their warranty periods expired without proper maintenance or repairs, he said. The wastage ran into crores of rupees.
Muraleedharan said that the government had constituted a special investigation team headed by the Principal Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department to examine the issue, including the necessity of the purchases, the quality of the equipment, delays in making them operational, the reasons for prolonged non-use, and the responsibility of the officials concerned.
Reports relating to institutions under the Medical Education Department had been received and were being examined by the government, he added.
The investigation found that two oxygen generation plants supplied through the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited (KMSCL) to Alappuzha Medical College were unable to produce oxygen at the required volume and pressure and had not become fully operational, he said.
Some ventilators supplied under a government scheme were also not being used due to concerns over quality, operational reliability and maintenance costs, the minister said.
A total of 128 such ventilators were reported to be lying unused at the medical colleges in Kottayam, Manjeri, Kannur and Kozhikode, he added.
Similar instances of medical equipment, including additional ventilators received during the Covid period, remaining unused had also been reported from institutions under the Health Department in Wayanad and Ernakulam districts, he said.
The government would take strong measures to fix responsibility for the procurement, installation, operation and maintenance of medical equipment and prevent such wastage of public money in the future, Muraleedharan said.
“Based on widespread complaints of misuse of public money, directions have been issued to the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) to investigate the corruption allegations,” he said. PTI TBA TBA SA
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