CT scan machines bought in BJP regime under lens

Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, May 30

Suspecting major irregularities in the purchase of 12 CT scan machines procured in deviation of policy approved by the Cabinet during the previous BJP regime, the state government has asked the Law Department to examine the case so that responsibility can be fixed for the lapse, which has resulted in burdening poor patients.

Sources said the entire record of the alleged lapses was placed before the Cabinet at its meeting held here on May 28 last week. “The policy approved by the Cabinet in 2009 to install CT scan machines under PPP mode was changed at the level of the officers, which resulted in burdening the patients who had to pay more for the getting the scan facility in government hospitals across the state,” said highly placed sources.

The CT Scan Policy was framed during the previous BJP regime for purchasing 10 CT scan machines to be installed in government hospitals. The policy was changed not only to benefit the company but two extra machines were bought and installed at Sarkaghat and Kotkhai without taking the matter back to the Cabinet.

Incidentally, the issue came to the notice of the present Congress regime here when the Centre pointed out towards the higher rate of CT scan being charged in Himachal as compared to other states. “When the issue was looked into, it was detected that changes payable to the private company providing the CT scan facility at 12 hospitals had been enhanced without Cabinet approval,” said health officials.

While Cabinet gave approval for purchase of 10 CT scan machines, the government bought 12 machines. Moreover, instead of acquiring machines of reputed companies as agreed in the policy, the relaxation was given to the private partner to buy a machine of any brand and the contract period too was enhanced from the approved five years to initially 10 and later 12 years.

The most important clause of the policy about the rates to be charged from the patients was also changed at the official level. “While as per the policy the patients were to be charged government rates, in a major change in clause it was decided that from 2013 onwards there would be increase of 10 per cent and then 7 per cent per year,” revealed sources.

This is the change in policy which ultimately hit the common man who waits for days altogether to get a CT scan done at a government hospital, thinking that it would be cheaper here than in private hospitals and clinics.