Kerala medical colleges face supply crisis over unpaid equipment bills

Thiruvananthapuram: Twenty-one government hospitals, including medical colleges, owe Rs 158.68 crore to suppliers for the purchase of equipment used in the treatment of heart disease.

The outstanding amount relates to equipment purchased for the cath labs through hospital development committees. Approximately Rs 41.34 crore of this amount is overdue as of June 2024.

Sathish, President of the Chamber of Distributors of Medical Implants and Disposables, stated that arrears of this scale have never been seen before and warned that if payments are not cleared by July 25, action will be taken, including halting distribution.

Funds from the hospital development committees are used to procure medicines when the supply from the Medical Services Corporation falls short. The expert committee investigating the delay in urology surgeries at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College noted that the delay was caused by the need for approval from the district collector to use these funds.

The Medical Services Corporation also owes distributors for medicines purchased since 2020-21. The Health Department itself has confirmed that Rs 693.78 crore remains to be paid to distributors up to the 2024-25 financial year.

Dues to suppliers

Medical Colleges

Thiruvananthapuram: Rs 29.56 crore

Alappuzha: Rs 12.24 crore

Kottayam: Rs 21.74 crore

Ernakulam: Rs 2.38 crore

Thrissur: Rs 3.43  crore

Manjeri: Rs 2.63 crore

Kozhikode: Rs 34.90 crore

Pariyaram: Rs 13.96 crore

Kollam: Rs 3.93 crore

Wayanad: Rs 60 lakhs

General Hospitals

Ernakulam: Rs 13.74 crore

Kozhikode: Rs2.67 crore

Pathanamthitta: Rs 2.01 crore

Thrissur: Rs 4.01 crore

Thiruvananthapuram: Rs 3.24 crore

Kanjirappally: Rs1.87  crore

District Hospitals

Kannur: Rs 1.07 crore

Kanhangad: Rs 58 lakhs

Palakkad: Rs 77 lakhs

Kollam: Rs 2.16 crore

ST Thiruvananthapuram: Rs 2.09 crore