Concerned contracting firms in collaboration with the hospitals’ authorities might have been misappropriated the money in the name of X-ray films purchasing and supplying.

Special Correspondent:

Allegation of disappearing around 1.5 lakh X-ray films from three hospitals and withdrawing bills without supplying of the required goods by contracting firms has been intensified.

Concerned contracting firms in collaboration with the hospitals’ authorities might have been misappropriated the money in the name of X-ray films purchasing and supplying.

An inspection team of the Health Ministry has found discrepancies between the documents over purchasing and supplying of X-ray films in three hospitals in the capital.

According to the inspection team’s report, the contractor took the bill without supplying the films to any hospital. Even, there is no trace of about 1.5 lakh X-ray films of different sizes in those three hospitals.

Not only that, in some packets provided to the hospitals, 100 X-ray films were found instead of 125 as per schedule. Such incidents have taken place at Mugda Medical College Hospital, Sir Salimullah Medical College Hospital and National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR). The inspection team of the Health Ministry submitted the report recently requesting to take legal action in this regard.

Meanwhile, many of the officials, who were in charge of the hospitals, where the irregularities took place, are no longer in the workplace or many have retired.

As a result, the issue of this corruption of around Tk 3 crore has come to a standstill.

According to several sources, authorities of the Mugda Medical College Hospital purchased X-ray films from Lexicon Merchandise Company three terms respectively on December 8 and May 9 in 2019 and May 5 last year.

The inspectors mentioned in their report that the bill vouchers were shown to have 125 pieces of film in the packets. In fact, the packets contained only 100 pieces of film. Apart from this, the hospital authorities could not answer immediately as to where the others went.

On the other hand, some 860 packets of X-ray film have disappeared from the National Orthopedic Hospital and Rehabilitation Center (NITOR) in the capital’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.

Each packet contained 100 pieces of film. The price of total packets was paid to the contracting firm at Tk 2.32 crore according to the price of each packet at Tk 27,000.

When the inspection team of the Ministry of Health went to the hospital and seized the bill vouchers and other necessary documents, they did not find the films. On June 30 last year, the hospital purchased 3,355 packets of X-ray film for the last time.

Same discrepancies have found in the purchasing of Sir Salimullah Medical College Hospital at Mitford area in the capital. The hospital authorities purchased the films, which are not used there anyway. But, they could not say why those were purchased and where those have gone.

Multiple sources in the Ministry of Health seeking anonymity said, there were two major irregularities and corruption in the health sector in the fiscal year 2019-20.

Some of these purchases have been made directly under the Health Department’s various operation plans or coronary emergency plans. Another part of the purchase has been done by each government hospital through those own authorities.

In this case, most of the hospital authorities have violated their limits and made their own purchases without the permission of the ministry; in which widespread corruption and irregularities have been taken place.

In many cases, evidence has been found that the bill was paid without receiving the goods. Besides, no rules were obeyed anywhere. Even in almost all the hospitals, various equipments have been bought at higher prices than the market price.

On the other hand, the purchases made under the Department of Health have also been grossly violated. Following those, many officials were replaced, but no legal punishment was given to the rule violators for their corruptions and mismanagement.

Prof. Dr. Abdul Gani Mollah, Director of NITOR said, “If there was any such issue, it would have come to my notice. I try to do all the procurement or purchasing works with as much transparency as possible. A separate committee has also been set up for purchasing. I don’t think there is any chance of irregularities or corruption here. There may be found a crisis of X-ray films occasionally.”

“I have to find out what the team of the ministry has reported,” he added.

The incumbent Director of Mugda Medical College Hospital Professor Asim Kumar said, “When that purchase was made, I was not in charge here. I became the director of this hospital in January this year. However, I have heard the matter. Those, who were in charge of the matters before me must responsible to answer the matter to the concerned ministry.”

Brigadier General Rashidul Nabi, Director of Sir Salimullah Medical College Hospital said, “I took charge in March last year. I don’t get any such audit objections that the X-ray films have gone disappeared.”