26 hospitals asked to provide details of procurements

{MEDICAL SUPPLIES CASE} ANTI-CORRUPTION BRANCH PROBE

- Hemani Bhandari

Delhi's Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) on Thursday wrote to 26 government hospitals seeking details of procurement of the equipment and material they use, two days after the agency arrested 10 people in connection with the case registered against six hospitals for using "substandard material".

ACB also sought prosecution sanction against nine doctors who have allegedly been found involved in the matter. The agency had registered a case against the hospitals on January 5 and the people arrested include two lab technicians and a pharmacist. People familiar with the matter told HT that the agency has found the alleged involvement of nine doctors from Lok Nayak Hospital in the procurement of substandard material.

An officer aware of the matter said: "We have written to 26 Delhi government hospitals to share with us the details of their approval and purchase committee, list of suppliers, materials they use and documents related to it. Essentially, we have asked if the suppliers we have arrested have also supplied any material to them. This is an expansion of our probe into the already registered case... As per protocol, we have sought prosecution sanction from the health department regarding the same. These doctors were members of the purchase and approval committee."