SURAJ NANDREKAR
PANAJI: Following big exposes by Goemakrponn, the wheels of justice has begun to move as the State government, headed by Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant has decided to dissolve the Purchase Committee of the Goa Medical College, which was embroiled in several committees.
Goemkarponn has been in the forefront in exposing the severe irregularities in the purchase committee.
The purchases of COVID-related infrastructure, Medical Oxygen, purchases from Wellness Forever have all been exposed by Goemkarponn.
The decision of dissolving the Purchase Committee was taken by the Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant and the senior bureaucrats.
“The government will take direct control over purchases in GMC now,” a source requesting anonymity told Goemkarponn.
Sources said the order to this effect is excepted anytime now.
The major reasons cited for dissolution of the purchase committee were the conflict of interest that a retired Director of Health Services Dr Rajnand Desai, who also is the OSD to Health Minister Vishwajit Rane was on the committee.
Another retired accounts officer, was handpicked in the committee and the third was that the Director (Administration) Dattaram Sardesai, who has been indicted by Goa Lokayukta in the job scam, is also part of the committee.
Besides the exposes by Goemkarponn, the CAG has also pointed out angularities in purchases that the delay in finalisation of tenders by Goa Medical College and Hospital for the rear 2016-17 resulted in avoidable extra expenditure of Rs 10.75 crore on procurement of medicines through local purchase.
Mention was made in the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India for the year ended 31 March 2015, Government of Goa regarding inordinate delay in finalisation of annual tenders for procurement of tablets, injectables, ointments, surgical items, chemicals etc, by Goa Medical college and Hospital (GMCH) and the Public Health Department (Department) during 2010-15, leading to merely 25 per cent of total expenditure (Rs 131 crore) being spent on procurement of medicines through tendering process.
Scams in GMC purchases
The GMC purchases has been embroiled in several scams including the one of the delay in tendering the GMC medicine purchase due to which hospital is buying from open market.
The ventilator scam was the worst as the State purchased ventilators for Rs 8.5 lakhs which were worth Rs 2.5.
Not just ventilators, the committee also approved the purchase of several items like PPEs, masks, gloves etc at exorbitant prices.
HM-CM Cold War
Ever since there arised Oxygen crisis in GMC and other government hospitals there has been a cold war sought of between the Health Minister, so much so that the BJP Central and State leaderships had to intervene and sort out differences.
This development, however, proves that all is till not well between CM and HM.
The infighting began after rise in deaths, which led to CM taking over control of Oxygen supply.
