Idle medical equipment: Kerala orders high-level probe into 10 years of Health Dept purchases
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Health Minister K Muraleedharan has ordered a high-level investigation into all medical procurement made by the Health Department over the last decade. The Health Department Principal Secretary has been directed to constitute an expert committee comprising senior officials and technical specialists, with instructions to submit a comprehensive report within two weeks. The report must pinpoint those responsible for any lapses and recommend strict follow-up actions.
The scope of the investigation will span across all government medical colleges, government hospitals and other healthcare institutions functioning under the Health Department. The panel will conduct a thorough audit into the purchase, installation, commissioning, actual utilisation, maintenance and current working status of all medical equipment and accessories acquired over the past ten years.
Furthermore, the Minister specified that the probe must cover equipment procured using Plan Funds, the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), various other Centrally sponsored schemes, and assets distributed by the Central Government during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The government decision follows a string of complaints raised over the last decade regarding the acquisition of high-end medical equipment. Allegations have surfaced that expensive medical machinery, including oxygen concentrators distributed by the Centre during the pandemic, autoclave machines, solar power plants and generators, have been left uninstalled and non-commissioned. The Health Minister noted that there are also reports of vital machinery becoming completely non-functional due to a lack of proper maintenance.
"Such lapses lead to massive financial losses for the government, a waste of public property, and the denial of essential healthcare services to the general public," Minister Muraleedharan said.
He added that during a recent visit to the Wayanad Government Medical College, he personally witnessed high-value medical apparatus, including a mobile mortuary, lying idle for an extended period. The state-wide probe was triggered by reports indicating that similar operational negligence exists in other government medical colleges and state-run hospitals.