Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala health department has landed in a controversy after over 500 files related to purchases went missing from the headquarters of the department. It is revealed that some documents which should be kept for lifetime also among the missing files.
All files which disclosed the irregularities committed by the health department director over medicine purchase was disappeared from the headquarters. Such files should be kept in the department for a lifetime.
Most of the missing files are related to the purchase of medicines worth crores and audit reports. Hence, the additional director of the health department’s vigilance wing will be added to the probe team which constituted to investigate the missing files.
Though the health department director told police that over 500 files went missing, the numbers are likely to up, hinted the preliminary probe.
A probe to find the files are in progress at the health department headquarters since November. The Police officials failed to collect accurate information on the missing files even after interrogating the officials at the headquarters. Because of this, the police have proposed a departmental inquiry into the incident.
When the files went missing, the health department director had reported the matter to the health minister’s office unofficially. But it is learnt that an expert inquiry was not recommended.
Probe into disposal of 6000 e-files at MSCL
The finance inspection wing has initiated a probe into the disposal of over 6000 e-files at Medical Services Corporation Ltd. It is revealed that all these files were related to the deals which carried out without issuing a tender. Following the probe, all the files which were deleted from the computers were restored. These files will be handed over to the probe team.
Meanwhile, health minister Veena George has confirmed that files went missing from the department headquarters. In her explanation, she asserted that some files related to the purchase of medicines and equipment reportedly went missing. It is reported that these files are related to the purchases made before the formation of Medical Service Corporation Ltd.
The minister neither gave an explanation over the number of missing files nor the reason behind lodging a complaint with the police.
Earlier, the purchase committee under the health department director was in charge of purchasing medicines and equipment for government hospitals. As per the rules, lifetime files that are kept for more than 10 years must be stored in the record room. But the police were informed that the files had not gone missing from the record room.
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