‘Revoke plan to empower medical superintendents’

New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta on Tuesday urged chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to review his decision to empower medical superintendents (MS) of government hospitals to purchase medicines and equipment up to Rs 1 crore according to the hospital's requirement without any prior approval from the government.

Mr Gupta said that the heads of the hospitals have expressed their inability to undertake the new responsibility. “As per Central Purchase Agency (CPA) director they have stressed that they are already overburdened with their existing workload,” he claimed.

Mr Gupta pointed that they (heads of government hospital) have neither expertise nor staff to process cases of high value purchases. The ref-usal of heads of hospitals has started effecting the hospital’s functioning.

“The discordant note between the government and the hospital heads has created a piquant situation. As a result, supply of medicines and equipment is being affected. Fact remains that the MSs are overburdened with hospital administration,” he said. 

“This leaves the MSs no time to carry out high value purchases. If the heads of the hospitals are compelled to undertake the new responsibility, the patient care and hospital management will suffer a lot,” Mr Gupta added.