ACB Raids Delhi Govt-Run LNJP Hospital in Sub-Standard Medical Equipment Case

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 10th Jan. An Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) team conducted a raid on Tuesday at the LNJP Hospital, which is run by the Delhi government. The raid was related to allegations of supplying sub-standard medical and surgical equipment, according to officials.

The team questioned hospital staff and officials, and also confiscated some documents related to the case. A senior ACB officer confirmed this.

The ACB team spent approximately three hours at the hospital during the raid.

In response to the raid, the Delhi government issued a statement stating that all the sub-standard items were purchased from the central government’s online portal called GeM (Government e Marketplace). They further suggested that a central agency, such as the CBI, should investigate this matter.

On January 5, an FIR was registered by the ACB in connection with the alleged supply of sub-standard quality medical and surgical equipment in six Delhi government-run hospitals, including the LNJP Hospital, the officials said.

The case was registered under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Drugs and Cosmetic Act, and section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code, they said When contacted, Joint Commissioner of Police, ACB, Madhur Verma confirmed the raid.

The FIR was registered on a complaint from the deputy secretary (vigilance) of the Delhi health and family welfare department.

Medical and surgical equipment supplied by 13 different suppliers were found to have failed the standard quality in lab tests, according to the FIR.

It was stated in the FIR that samples of rolled bandages, absorbent cotton, latex examination gloves and infusion sets were sent for the tests.

These were supplied to LNJP, Lal Bahadur Shastri (LBS), Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU), Sanjay Gandhi Memorial, JSS and GTB hospitals, according to the FIR.

In its statement, the Delhi government said all the “sub-standard items were bought from the central government’s portal called GeM (Government e Marketplace)”.

“The rules of finance have made it mandatory that government departments should buy products from GeM and only if they are not available on GeM, they can be bought from the open market through tenders,” the Delhi government said.

It is “surprising” that the central government is allowing such vendors on its portal who are giving sub-standard products, it alleged.

“It is very important that such products are being supplied not just to Delhi government, but also other state governments and the central government. This should be investigated by a central agency like the CBI so that it brings out the truth about GeM,” the statement said.