224 iPhones bought for Kerala hospitals for ₹7.16 crore; several now missing, govt to order probe

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala will order a Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) probe into alleged irregularities in medical equipment purchases after the state government disclosed that several iPhones bought for ₹7.16 crore were missing, while costly equipment remains unused in government hospitals.

Health Minister K Muraleedharan informed the Assembly on Monday that 224 iPhones had been purchased along with fundus cameras, which operate using the phones. However, the equipment is lying unused in several hospitals, and complaints have been received that many of the iPhones are missing.

The issue was raised by Congress MLA Abin Varkey Kodiyattu.

128 ventilators remain unused at four medical colleges

The review has also found that 128 ventilators supplied under the PM CARES scheme remain unused at four government medical colleges in Kerala.

The ventilators are at medical colleges in Kottayam, Manjeri, Kannur and Kozhikode. According to the minister, concerns over equipment quality, operational reliability and maintenance costs have contributed to their prolonged non-use.

Two oxygen generator plants supplied to Alappuzha Medical College through the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited (KMSCL) have also failed to become fully operational. The plants have not been able to produce oxygen at the required volume and pressure.
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Special team examines equipment purchases

The government had earlier appointed a special team headed by the Principal Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department to examine the equipment-related issues.

The team was tasked with assessing the quality of the equipment, whether the purchases were necessary, failures in installation and commissioning, and the reasons for the equipment remaining unused for long periods. It was also asked to examine the responsibility of officials involved.

The minister said reports concerning medical colleges had been received and were being examined. Unused equipment has also been identified at Health Department institutions in Wayanad and Ernakulam.

Purchases during COVID pandemic under scrutiny

Much of the equipment under scrutiny was purchased during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the first Pinarayi Vijayan government was in office. However, the proposed inquiry will also cover purchases made during other periods.

Muraleedharan said the government's responsibility did not end with purchasing medical equipment; it also had to ensure that hospitals could use the equipment and that patients benefited from it.

He said public money spent on medical equipment could not be allowed to go to waste, particularly when equipment was left unused or deteriorated after warranty periods expired without necessary repairs and maintenance.
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Government considers redistribution of usable equipment

The government plans to identify equipment that can be made operational and consider redistributing it to hospitals where it is needed. Kerala already has a Biomedical Equipment Maintenance Programme and district-level monitoring mechanisms.

The minister said the government would examine the responsibility of officials and take appropriate action wherever lapses were established.