Nagpur: In a significant decision, Maharashtra Government has transferred the powers of drug, equipment purchases for GMCs to the Commissioner of Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER). From now onwards Haffkine Bio-pharmaceuticals Corporations Limited will not make the purchases. GMCs were facing the issue of too much delay in receipt of drugs, equipment and other essentials. The powers will remain with the DMER Commissioner till the Medical Procurement Authority is formed, media reports said.
Recently, Maharashtra Cabinet has passed the Medical Procurement Authority Act deciding to constitute an independent entity for the purchases in State-run hospitals, including those run by all municipal corporations.
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Sat 16 Nov. 2024
It was in 2017, the then Public Health Minister Dr Deepak Sawant had brought Haffkine into the medical purchase system owing to a lot of complaints against the Rate Contract system. Somehow, Haffkine could not manage the purchase, the reasons best known to the authorities. GMCs in the State faced a lot of difficulties to the extent that till the recent past most GMCs witnessed the non-availability of common medicines like crocin. A huge fund of over Rs 70 crore given by Shirdi Sansthan remained unutilised with Haffkine without a single purchase. Later on the Medical Education Department under Dr Sanjay Mukherjee found a way out and necessary purchases were done for the time being.
During the regime of Mahavikas Aghadi Government, nobody touched the issue and GMCs did not have a choice than to suffer. Now the new Shinde-Fadnavis Government took a strong decision to form the authority to make the purchase. Tanaji Sawant, the present Health Minister announced the decision of formation of Authority. The Government feels that now the procurement system would work with speed and make the purchase in a transparent manner. The speedy functioning will help GMCs get medicines, equipment much earlier.
There will be a regulatory board in addition to the Authority headed by the Chief Minister. It will have 14 members consisting of Chief Executive Officer, General Manager of the rank of Joint Director of Health, General Manager of the rank of Joint Secretary, Assistant General Manager of the rank of Deputy Director (Technical), Chief Accounts and Finance Officer and a Chief Administrative Officer. No clear guidelines have been drafted yet, but all the purchases requested by the hospitals will be made collectively and then distributed to the health institutions concerned as per their proposals.
