Health director, 2 deputies suspended for 'irregularities' in drug procurement

WRITTEN BY Kanchan Srivastava | Updated: Apr 13, 2016, 07:25 AM IST

A delegation of textile mill workers, represented by Datta Iswalkar, Jaiprakash Bhilare and Nandu Palkar, comes out of Vidhan Bhavan after meeting chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday. Fadnavis annnounced that textile mill workers would be provided with 5,052 flats — 2,634 on textile mill lands and 2,418 in MMRDA areas

NCP MLC and leader of Opposition in the legislative council Dhananjay Munde had alleged a "scam" worth Rs297 crore. He presented documents related to 591 purchase orders, all made on 31 March 2015 and claimed that top officials of public health department connived with drug suppliers and ordered medicines even though they were not required by municipal corporations

The Devendra Fadnavis government on Tuesday suspended director of public health and family welfare Dr Satish Pawar, who is the topmost official in the health department, over charges of "irregularities" in procurement of drugs for muncipal corporations. He has been suspended before inquiry. Dr Bhagwan Sahai, additional chief secretary of general administration department (GAD), has been asked to probe the charges against Dr Pawar. "If needed, the matter would be referred to the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) once Sahai committee submits its report," Dr Deepak sawant, health minister, told the upper House after being cornered by the NCP over the issue.

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The health department, however, insists that the suspension of Dr Pawar is ordered due to "lapses in distribution" of medicines among corporations. Department also sought to clarify minister's name from the fiasco claiming that the minister has no role in medicine purchase committee.

A day before, government had suspended two of his juniors — Dr Raju Johewar, assistant director Dr Sachin Desai and deputy director of national health mission (Maha) Dr Raju Jotkar, in the same case.

The NCP MLC and leader of Opposition in the legislative council Dhananjay Munde had alleged a "scam" in the procurement of drugs worth Rs297 crore. On Tuesday, he presented documents related to 591 purchase orders, all made on 31 March 2015.

He claimed that large quantities of iodine bottles, diabetes medicines etc., even though municipal corporations didn't need that much, were procured and later wrote to the health department seeking help in hiring godowns to store the bulk consignments delivered to them.

Munde had levelled charges of corruption and gross irregularities in the purchase claiming that top officials of the public health department connived with the drug suppliers and ordered medicines even though they were not required by the corporations.

Munde told dna, "I had altered the minister about this ongoing irregularities in July last year when I got a hint of it. But I couldn't go further due to lack of documents then. The government was forced to suspend the officers when I presented the proofs."

Dr Pawar, Dr Desai and Dr Jotewar couldn't be reached for comments.