Medicine shortage: BMC blacklists rogue supplier

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Four months after an inquiry into the shortage of medicines at civic hospitals, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has acted against the culprits. In an order issued on Tuesday, BMC's new assistant commissioner blacklisted one medicine supplier. The civic body has also initiated action against four other companies, which will be declared defaulters.

The blacklisted company failed to supply medicines as many as 394 times in 2018, according to the report of the inquiry conducted by former additional commissioner (health) Idzes Kundan. "As the Model Code of Conduct was in place, the final approval for an action was pending. We have blacklisted a medicine supplier and are also in the process to declare four other firms defaulters," said a BMC health department official.

The officer did not give the names of the companies which faces action. However, according to the datat available with mid-day, Daffodils Pharmaceuticals Ltd had delayed supply of medicines 394 times. The four other firms which delayed the supply are Ciron Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd, ANG Lifesciences (Jainam pharma), Nandani Medical Laboratories Pvt Ltd and Celon Laboratories Pvt Ltd (Mitrasen Medicare).

mid-day had last year reported that the BMC was facing shortage of medicines like insulin and antibiotics among others. The BMC had procured medicines worth '46 crore for a period of two years in September 2017, however, the civic hospitals ran out of medicines by October 2018. The health department had set up a three-member committee to conduct an inquiry. The panel had given names of 45 medical suppliers who missed the deadline to supply medicines to the BMC-run hospitals in 2018. Last year, the health ministry was asked to give the deans of government-run hospitals the authority to buy medicines up to '1 lakh in case of shortage.

394
No. of times the company failed to supply medicines in 2018

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