BMC hospitals have vaccines, glucose for just 30 days

Contract expired in April, but no tender floated yet to replenish stock

The civic-run hospitals in the city, which had recently been hit by the shortage of medicines, now have very limited stock of vaccines and glucose, as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has not yet renewed the contracts to replenish the stock.

The hospitals, which see a 30 per cent rise in the number of patients seeking medical attention owing to monsoon, will run out of vaccines and glucose in next 30 days. The contract for supply of vaccines and glucose had expired in April, and the BMC was supposed to float tenders beforehand to procure the items.

Also Read: Medicine shortage: BMC blacklists rogue supplier

Almost two months have passed by and the BMC has not yet sent proposals for the procurement of the supply to the Standing Committee for approval. "The tender to supply vaccines and glucose have expired in April but despite raising the issue, corporation hasn't done anything about it. This complete negligence on the part of the corporation," said a senior BMC health officer from the Standing Committee.

Director of major hospitals, Dr Ramesh Bharmal, has said the BMC will procure the two items on the priority basis. "For the meantime, we are procuring the items from private suppliers. But we will be replenishing the stock shortly," he added.

In September 2017, the BMC had procured medicines worth R46 crore for a course of two years. In fact, the hospitals had over 40 per cent more stock than required. However, they ran out of most of it in a year. An investigation was launched after civic hospitals reported a shortage of basic medicines. The inquiry committee listed names of 45 dealers who missed the deadline to supply medicines to hospitals in 2018. The BMC in May blacklisted one supplier and initiated action against four other companies.

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