The two hospitals — GB Pant and Guru Nanak Eye Centre (GNEC) — were under scanner for flouting the guidelines for the tendering process of ECG monitors in 1999.
An inquiry ordered 19 years ago into alleged irregular medical equipment purchases at two Delhi government hospitals is still pending with the health department, prompting the vigilance department — under the Lieutenant Governor — to cite repeated red-flags and seek action.
The two hospitals — GB Pant and Guru Nanak Eye Centre (GNEC) — were under scanner for flouting the guidelines for the tendering process of ECG monitors in 1999.
The department of vigilance has now written to the department of health and family welfare, backing recommendations made by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) in its investigation report.
A senior Delhi government official said, "The lax attitude of officers sometimes delays investigations. In many such cases, the attempt is made to shield their own officers who are directly or indirectly involved in corruption. The CVC has been asking the department why there has been no action in the case flagged 19 years ago."
An investigation report prepared by the commission had highlighted procedural lapses — individual tenders for the same equipment was called within the same time frame separately. The members involved in the alleged corruption included senior IAS officers and principal secretary (Health) in charge of the health department that year.
"Such individual tendering for similar equipment having the same parameters and functions merely on the basis of requirements of separate hospitals is a procedural violation," the CVC had said in its preliminary report.
According to sources, officers have been sitting on the files, and it has been passed on to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. "How can we process action unless we see the files. Since Jily 2016,
matters related to the department of services has not been coming to the government. They do not want us to take any action against their own officer," said another government official.
As per rule, if any complaint that involves senior officers is pending for over four years, then the officer cannot face any departmental inquiry. Sources in the government said that many officers who have now retired from the government cannot face any action on the charges against them.
"It becomes a nexus. The file keeps shuttling between the department for years and then the officer retires and the case is shut. Till the time, we get the decision on the matter, the officer does not belong to the government's set up," said another government official.
The vigilance department has again requested to provide a comprehensive and well-analysed reply to the references made by the CVC. An expert committee has now been formed to prepare a report by this month. A three-member committee along with some officials from both hospitals will be assisting in the inquiry.
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