Major COVID scam in SKIMS, report lying in LG’s Sectt
Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, May 31: The Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Srinagar, has made bulk purchases of MRI compatible transport ventilators when the Head of the Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care had projected the demand for COVID specific ventilators for use in the Intensive care units of the hospital.
The purchase of these ventilators, which are now lying idle, was made in a hush hush manner in gross violation of financial code and as per records such a bulk purchase of MRI based transport ventilators was not even made by All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
A confidential report (SIMS 301 02/AD/2021-42 dated 18-02-2021) sent by then Additional Director SKIMS, Mathora Masoom, and addressed to Deputy Secretary Vikas Verma (LG’ References Monitoring Cell GAD) has revealed that SKIMS purchased MRI compatible transport ventilators for Rs 1,28,40,000 without endorsement from the HoD Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, Dr Abdul Qayoom Lone.
“…HoD Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care (Dr Abdul Qayoom Lone) forwarded a requisition to Director SKIMS regarding procurement of transport ventilators on the basis of supply order of AIIMS New Delhi…model ASTRAL-100, company RESMED Ltd, Australia involving financial implications of Rs 77, 72, 800 including GST for 20 units (3, 47, 000). Case was processed and technical specifications were certified by coordinator machinery and equipment from HoD concerned…”, read the report.
“Instead of procuring these ventilators, the SKIMS purchased MRI compatible transport ventilators for Rs 1,28,40,000 without endorsement from the HoD Anaesthesiology and Critical Care”, the report stated.
The report said that there was no need for purchase of such a number of MRI compatible transport ventilators when at a time only one patient can be handled by MRI machine at the SKIMS. An official said that 7 similar transport ventilators were donated by an NGO to SKIMS who had purchased them on the same analogy. ”These were not accepted by Chest Diseases hospital Srinagar. They said no to the NGO for these ventilators saying the transport ventilators were of no use for COVID-19 patients”, he said.
“It is established here that financial implications of MRI ventilators were very high than those procured by AIIMS. There was an extra burden of Rs 50,67,200 on SKIMS and it is not justified anywhere what was the need of procuring 20 MRI transport ventilators, when at one time only one patient can be handled by MRI machine in SKIMS…”, the report added.
The report suggested that a couple of such ventilators were justified. “However, purchase of MRI transport ventilators has just caused too much of burden on the finances. In place of one MRI transport ventilator three ventilators could have been purchased which was the need of the hour”, report added.
A Kashmir based senior Anaesthesiologist told Excelsior that normally Invasive ventilator for the ICU needs to have pressure controlled ventilation, synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation also called SIMV, pressure support, continuous positive airway pressure (BIPAP), pressure regulated volume control or PRVC for monitoring volume, fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2), flow, pressure and also, advance monitoring like resistance, compliance, rapid shallow breathing index (RSBI), occlusion pressure which are desired for weaning. “None of the features are available in the Transport ventilators and such a purchase is a wasteful expenditure”, he said.
As per the documents the purchase of these MRI specific transport ventilators was done surreptitiously and in a record time for the reasons best known to the Director SKIMS, Professor A G Ahangar.
“Offer from M/s Malik Sales Agencies was received vide letter no 2798/MSA/18-19 Dated 16.03.2020, which was marked to HoD Anaesthesiology and returned with recommendation that in the interest of COVID-19 patient care same is recommended and previous recommendation of RESMED was withdrawn”, the documents revealed.
The documents further suggested that Administrative approval of the Director for a letter of intent dated 17.03.2020 was done without a purchase subcommittee. The purchase was done without approval and later, it was vetted by the Purchase Subcommittee in its 6th meeting of 2020 held on 23.03.2020.
The documents further revealed that the Administrative approval of the Director SKIMS & EOSG was given on 24.03.2020 and the formal order (No. SIMS 324-28-2020-EQ-1153-56 dated 24.03.2020) was issued by the Imports section of the Department of Materials and Management in which it is mentioned that the equipment stands already delivered in SKIMS Store.
“Normally imported equipment deliveries take 4-6 weeks, but in this case the supplies were delivered the next day after the issuance of Letter of Intent”, said a member of the Purchase committee of the SKIMS suggesting that the vendor had already made such purchases.
He said that the whole process of approval was done in one day without evaluation by the technical committee and approval by the Purchase subcommittee.
A senior doctor at SKIMS said that the transport ventilator is used only for shifting a patient from home or for taking a patient for diagnostic tests, like CT and MRI, which cannot be done in an ICU.
He said that the Institute projected the purchase of the ventilators for the use of COVID -19 patients and after initially proposing RESMED ventilators they changed to the MRI compatible transport ventilators just for “monitory benefits and cuts”.
“The main purpose projected for their procurement was to provide better facilities to COVID patients in the ICU and that has not been fulfilled as such ventilators are of no use in the ICU”, he said.
The report of the AD SKIMS further stated that there has been gross violation of financial code in SKIMS for purchases which cannot be done even if there is an emergency.
“Since for every procurement COVID-19 emergency was provided as a justifying factor and same was the case here. Every procurement needs a tendering process and now a day’s e-tendering can be done within a shortest possible time. The financial code cannot be violated even if there is an emergency…”, the report added.
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