Games in medical emergency

With only 50 days to go, two firms contracted to provide pathological equipment for cwg back out; allegations of corruption in deal with Directorate of Health Services

With only 50 days to go, two firms contracted to provide pathological equipment for cwg back out; allegations of corruption in deal with Directorate of Health Services

CWG 2010 is not a picture of good health by any means. Now the epidemic of corruption and confusion seems to have spread further. Two firms who had got orders to supply emergency medical equipment to 22 hospitals in the city, as preparation for the Commonwealth Games, have backed out of the deal.

The firms - Lord Krishna Company and Mangalam Medicaments - were under the scanner as they had allegedly secured the order despite quoting exorbitant rates.u00a0 Both the Delhi-based companies were selected by the Directorate of Health Services, Delhi government, earlier this year, in a bidding, which had faced criticism from various reputed international firms who could not bag the order.

Though exact amount of the contract is not known, sources in the Health Department say, it is worth several crores as the hospitals in the city were being upgraded to meet any emergency during the CWG, when lakhs of people are expected to visit the city.

The list of these hospitals includes all prominent names including AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital, RML Hospital, GTB Hospital and several others.u00a0 "As the shoddy deal was coming to light the firms have now backed out," said a top Health Department official. The firms had reportedly written to the Delhi government on August 5 that it would not be possible for them to supply the equipments.

All this medical apparatus is to be used for emergency services including cardiac failure, injuries, various functions in the OPD and Operation Theatre.u00a0 In a letter, a copy of which is with MiD DAY, Directorate of Health Services, Delhi, has written to all these hospitals not to accept any equipment from these two firms as they have shown their inability to provide the same.

The articles to be provided include trolley beds, Shifting trolley, Scoop stretcher, Ultrasound Therapy equipment, Shortwave diathermy, TENS-IFT combo, X-Ray view, Automatic external defibrillator, Transport ventilator, examination lights, BP instrument Stethoscopes, Opthalmo-photoscope, Golf-cart stretcher among other items.u00a0 MiD DAY tried to contact the owners of both firms on the available telephone numbers. However, the numbers were found to be incorrect.u00a0

Baton passing

CWG Organising Committee Director General V K Verma has held sacked officials T S Darbari and Sanjay Mohindroo responsible for all the deals at the QBR launch in London.
u00a0"Darbari and Mohindroo are the two officers who were entirely responsible for the entire project (deal with AM Films) as they were of the level of joint DGs.
They went under verification details and primary responsibility was theirs. I was not in London and not involved," said Verma. Verma is DG Finance, Organising Committee.

Though the exact figure is not known the, DHS had ordered the firms to supplyu00a0 about 34 items. The government was buying the products at five - seven times more than the normal price.

Director, Health Department, Delhi, S Bhattacharjee said: "There is no need to worry. We will manage things."u00a0 When contacted, Delhi Health Minister Kiran Walia said she did not know anything about it. "I will have to check with my officers. I do not have any information about this," she told MiD DAY.