SHILLONG: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly has taken exception to the ‘wasteful expenditure’ incurred on procurement of a medical equipment from a ghost firm by the Health Department which has remained unutilised for 15 years.
The Chairman of the PAC, Charles Pyngrope, referred to the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India on the wasteful expenditure on procurement of surgical equipment for the year ended March 31, 2010.
He pointed out that the CAG report mentions the purchase of an arthroscopy machine at the cost Rs 21.32 lakh in 2003 which has not been utilised or made operational till date. The machine is used by orthopaedic surgeons to diagnose deficiencies of the bones or joints.
Officials of the Health Department stated that the arthroscopy machine has remained unutilised due to absence of a technician.
Shangpliang expressed surprise that one of the biggest departments in the state did not have the means to employ a bio engineer to man the costly medical equipment.
Surprisingly, the firm that supplied the equipment no longer exists. “They (Health officials) said there were just four quotations submitted at the point of time by the particular firm which has winded up. The firm that supplied the machine no longer exists. This is heights of irregularity in the Health department,” he said, adding that the PAC has directed the department to get the equipment repaired at the earliest and report the same to the committee.
As per the Health officials, the arthroscopy machine was meant to be utilised in the trauma centre of Shillong Civil Hospital, which is yet to be made functional.
The PAC has further directed the Health Department to set up trauma centres at Shillong, Tura and Nongpoh immediately since the fund sanctioned by the Central government in 2016 has to be utilised at the earliest.
The PAC also directed the department to appoint one or two biomedical engineers immediately either on regular basis or under contract to repair and man all the equipment purchased by the department.
