‘Questionable lapses’ in Health Department

Alleging questionable lapses, the Kezekevi Thehou Ba submitted a memorandum to the Nagaland Governor on May 12 seeking immediate intervention, seizure and recalling of all unlabeled sub-standard medical equipment procured for COVID-19.

 

 

Kezekevi Thehou Ba seeks Governor’s intervention
 

Kohima, May 12 (MExN): The Kezekevi Thehou Ba on Tuesday submitted a memorandum addressed to Nagaland Governor RN Ravi, seeking immediate intervention, seizure and recalling of all unlabeled sub-standard medical equipment procured for COVID-19.

 

 “Initiate inquiry/investigation against the officials responsible for procuring cheap quality medical equipment for COVID-19” and starts legal actions against the “officials if public funds have been misappropriated,” the memo said.

 

The Kezekevi Thehou Ba, comprising of Niketu Iralu as Chairman, Robert N Solo as General Secretary, and Kuolachalie Seyie and Visedel Kin as Senior Members, had earlier filed an RTI application in the Department of Health and Family Welfare (H&FW) seeking information “concerning the ‘Life and Liberty’ of the People of the State of Nagaland.”

 

The memo alleged that it had found “questionable lapses” in the procurement process by the DH&FW and put across its findings for the Governor’s perusal.

 

Purchase Committee bypassed

The petitioners pointed out that although a Purchase Committee (PC) comprising of Director (Health), Addl. Director, Purchase (H&FW), State Program Officer, NHM, Jt. Director, Purchase (H&FW), Dy. Director, Purchase (H&FW), Sr. Accounts Officer (H&FW) and Expert(s) Official(s) as co-opted members was formed March 26, another four-member PC was formed by the Government in superseding the former.

 

The second PC which included the Director (H&FW), Director NHM, Dy Director Store (H&FW), and Joint Director (H&FW), “were never informed and their appointment was kept in the dark till April 4,” the petitioners claimed.

 

“In the mean time, the Department kept on procuring things at exorbitant prices without the knowledge of the so called Purchase Committee. Even after the formation of the Committee their signatures were found to be missing everywhere in the purchase order details.”

 

This clearly indicates that the PC was being regularly “bypassed and trespassed” to serve “vested interest,” the memo stated.

 

“There is no record or report of any quotation being invited nor there was any open tender being flouted by the Department any time anywhere which is although mandatory,” it added.

 

In this regard, the petitioners cited media reports that the Minister for H&FW had admitted to lapses in procuring PPEs under the pretext of “panic order and purchase,” and asserted that “admission of lapses” does not improve the “quality of substandard COVID-19 pandemic medical materials procured and knowingly kept till date and which are ready for use.”

 

It also claimed that the 2nd four -members PC were given very limited assignments and their roles “were taken by the Store in Charge DHFW, Sr. Accounts Officer DHFW and the Principal Director (H&FW).”

 

The Committee was kept in the dark and inferior quality of PPE, N95 masks and surgical equipment were “purposely” procured at exorbitant prices and some  equipment are yet to reach the Department’s store, it maintained.

 

Standard regulation protocols ignored

Further, the petitioners sought attention on the “inferior quality of PPEs, Dead Body Bags and N95 Masks,” and pointed out that “majority of the Covid-19 medical materials were Non- Standard Packaging with ordinary Label or Non- Standard Packaging without Label.”

 

Among others, it also claimed that 500 Dead Body Bags procured are “Non- Air Sealed Dead Body Bags” with very loose stitching and below prescribed standards.

 

“Record shows that often, full amount was made as advance payment before receiving the purchased items. All these huge purchase took place without the knowledge and consent of the above referred Purchase Committee or Verifying Committee under the pretext of ‘panic order and purchase,’” it claimed. 

 

Meanwhile, the petitioners also claimed that the Government failed to set up any Committee to check the quality of the medical equipment “in spite of the hue and outcry by healthcare workers” on this matter.

 

In this regard, it informed that a group of doctors and senior department officials volunteered as the ‘Verifying Committee’ and had a sitting on April 15.

 

The Committee picked what it “believed to be the best ones and certified the PPEs, Masks and Triple Layer Masks as usable and dispatched to different districts only to be returned by the front liners citing the risks of using it,” it claimed.

 

The Verifying Committee which was formed consisting of volunteers for a particular occasion was never invited to certify and check the consignments of COVID-19 materials arrived to the Department’s Store, it claimed.

 

“The refusal of the Department to give free hand to the Purchase Committee and Verifying Committee before placing the orders or after receiving the consignments exposes the hidden agendas with vested interest,” the memorandum stated.

 

As such, it alleged that standard regulation protocol was completely ignored and not maintained as per the rules, as the “mandatory file noting with reference to the formation of neither Purchase Committee nor file noting in reference to the purchase of medical items does not exist in the DoH&FW’s files.”

 

Surprisingly, there is no record of file/document for COVID-19 pandemic medical materials purchase prior to March 21 in the DoH&FW, the memorandum stated.

 

‘Deficit of trust and safety’

On the claim of the Department that the consignments received till April 25 were all verified and approved by Quality Control Committee and Purchase Committee, the petitioners claimed that “there is no such verification document nor their signatures appears  in the file noting.”

 

It also said that senior officers were attending office regularly but were ignored and sidelined as the Store In-Charge in the Department “acted as the Designated Officer to receive consignments and distribute them without any guidelines in the pretext of emergency situation.”

 

In reference to the RTI replies, it said that the Department “could not mention any single point” as to how it ensured the safety and quality of PPEs. It said the PPEs were without any standard packaging or label prerequisites such as name of manufacturer, address, manufacturing batch, date of manufacture and date of expiry, or any quality control certification symbol.

 

The Department only provided a letter dated April 27 from the Delhi based Cozier Enterprises Unit which “certified that PPE kits supplied to the department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Nagaland  by Cozier Enterprise ‘had to forgo the standard packaging’ due to non-availability of standard packaging materials,” the petitioners stated.

 

As such, it stated that “Compromising all these minimum safety requirements gives rise to a deficit of trust and safety as well as…serious legal complications as many of these items were returned to the Directorate but still many are lying in the custody of the districts hospitals.”

 

According to the memorandum, the Department also failed to furnish details as to how quality assessment by Quality Control Committee/ Verifying Committee is being done or the parameters or quality assessment standards used for assessment of the various medical equipments supplied and received.

 

Expenses not documented

The petitioners pointed out that the Department also failed to provide the details of Quoted rate, Purchase rate along with GST details and the MRP of all materials and equipment purchased till the time of filing the RTI application.

 

According to the memo, the response from the PIO, Department of H&FW, with regard to the RTI dated April 24, stated that Rs 4143.88 lakhs was received by the Department till April 25.

 

Out of this, a total expenditure of Rs1227.24 lakhs was incurred by the Department for COVID-19 response as on April 25.

 

While there was a balance amount of Rs 2916.64 lakhs, the Department had outstanding dues of Rs 3050.26 lakhs, leaving it at a deficit of Rs 133.62 lakhs.

 

“However, the file noting with reference to the sanctioning of the money by the Purchase Committee and Quality Control Committee with their names, designations and signatures including Vendors GST details, details expenditure and cash memos does not exist,” the memo stated.

 

“Under such given circumstances one cannot afford to entertain any foul play putting at risk the life of millions of people in the name of corruption,” the petitioner stated and said that any sign of “corruption” needs to be checked immediately and proper legal action initiated.

 

Towards this, the petitioners sought the Governor’s intervention. It also asked the Governor to ensure that healthcare workers are not “pushed to COVID-19 duty, for their safety, since the healthcare workers in grass root fields cannot ventilate their grievances to the public as per the Chief Secretary Nagaland’s Advisory Order dated April 15, denying the public servants to speak against their respective authorities.”