PORVORIM: The Comptroller and
Auditor General (CAG) has censured the State-run Goa Medical College and
Hospital (GMC) for excess expenditure amounting to crores of rupees incurred
due to a delay in procuring equipment.
The CAG also slammed GMC for
failing to streamline the tendering process for procurement of medicines which
resulted in a shortage of medicines to patients at the hospital and loss to the
State exchequer.
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“Test check of procurements
of high value equipment showed that average time taken was more than one and
half years. The delay led to excess expenditure of Rs 1.30 crore,” states the
CAG report for the financial year 2014-15 tabled on the floor of the House by
Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar.
“We observed that
procurement was marred by inordinate delays at GMC level and also at government
level. These delays not only resulted in delay in providing better diagnostic
services to the public but also caused escalation in cost due to revision of
equipment prices and exchange rate variations for imported equipment,” the CAG stated
listing out instances which were noticed during the audit.
Regarding medicines, the CAG
noted that there is need to streamline annual procurement of medicines as delay
in finalization of annual tenders for 2011-12 and 2013-14 and non-tendering in 2012-13
and 2014-15 led to large local purchases at market rates entailing extra
expenditure of Rs 16.22 crore during 2010-15.
“Of the total procurement of
medicines of Rs 130.55 crore, only 25 percent, that is Rs 32.22 crore of the
medicines were procured through tendering process against the assessed
requirement. Also, almost 54 percent that is Rs 70.36 crore of the medicines
were procured in excess of the quantity tendered and another Rs 27.97 crore of
the expenditure was incurred through local and emergency purchases,” CAG noted.
“There was shortage of
orthopedic implants and patients had to supply the implants at their own cost
during the period 2010-15,” CAG has said.
On the other hand, the CAG
also observed that some installed facilities were unutilized by the hospital for
long periods of time. “The central sterile and supply development
equipment installed in March 2011 at a cost of Rs 4.35 crore had not been
utilized till December 2015,” the audit mentions.
“New mortuary cabinets installed
at a cost of Rs 2.59 crore and inaugurated in December 2013 had not been
utilized till December 2015 due to failure of cooling system,” the CAG noted.
The audit also said there
was shortage of teaching staff, resident doctors and technicians in the GMC.
“The hospital could not reap the full benefit of computerization due to
incomplete network and lack of maintenance support. The entire system is non
functional since October 2013,” the report states.
