For smooth medical supplies,KCB to emulate Military Hospital methods

Officials said the cantonment board approved the procedure of director-general of local purchases (DGLP) in vogue at Military Hospital,Khadki,to stock the medicines as buying them against frequent tenders was time-consuming. The procedure to buy medicines for the cantonment hospital and its two allopathic dispensaries,whose annual purchase of medicines amounts to over Rs 1 crore,has been approved.

The cantonment board will register the local suppliers of reputed companies as vendors and approve the rates of different medicines at the start of year and make purchase orders only at the time it finds the need for medicines.

\“The rates will be quoted at the start of financial year and later they will be negotiated afresh at the time of purchase of medicines from the vendors,” said a cantonment official.

Besides cutting the time on purchase of medicines,the supply of stocks directly from the vendors is being preferred as making the order through open market is turning out to be expensive for the cantonment board.

“We don’t buy branded drugs from the market,but purchase the generic drugs. Only for anesthesia,we purchase the branded drugs as we can’t take the risk with the people who are operated upon. If we purchase the drugs from the open market,we would be able to purchase only the 20 percent of the medicine supplies,” said,the officials.

KCB member SL Kamble,said,“We studied the procedure of Military Hospital,Khadki,and decided to adopt the same procedure. This is part of our policy to upgrade the medical supplies at the cantonment hospital. We are also employing the doctors on permanent basis at the cantonment hospital for better healthcare delivery.”

Officials said while for the medicines,the cantonment board has decided to resort to rate inquires,for purchase of other hospital stock such as syringes,IV sets,needles and hospital machinery like the electrolyte analysers,the cantonment board will opt for open tenders.