A NATIONAL daily reported that seven hospitals have laundered major part of over Tk 400 crore during 2013-14 using the cover of fictitious procurement tender documents and the Mugda General Hospital in the city alone misused Tk 300 crore in the process. Audit reports have already detected the irregularities and observers watching the health sector budget and the quality of its expenditure fear that the overall drainage of the health budget may be enormous in all counts.
The audit report has alleged that the procurement tenders of the seven hospitals were issued without competitive biding and in fact a single woman submitted five bids using letter heads of five business firms and got the procurement order as the lowest bidder for Mugda General Hospital. Tenders were invited for buying medicines, machines and equipments in three packages through five lots and the business firm Future Park got the order. The husband of the lady is very close to the ruling party and maintains closer contact with senior Health Ministry officials including the Director General of Health Services (DGHS). Director of hospital wing of DGHS and several other officials are reportedly engaged in the tender process and awarding the contact to business firm of their choice and it is no secret that they are using the procurement cover to swindle public money. The audit report has made it clear. Its findings show the owner of the firms had submitted the tenders at the DGHS although it could be dropped in the tender box placed at Mugda General Hospital. It has been alleged that the Health Directorate even did not bother what equipment and surgical machinery were procured and if they were up to the quoted quality and procured as per specifications. Even the store staff at the hospital did not know it.
Financial irregularities were also detected in the tendering process of six other hospitals including Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, National Orthopedics Hospital and Rehabilitation Institution, Dinajpur Medical College Hospital, Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital, Barisal, Kurmitola General Hospital and Kishoreganj General Hospital. But the irregularities at Mugda General Hospital alone covered Tk 300 crore out of a total of Tk 400 crore expenditures challenged by the audit report.
Allegation of misuse of fund was also raised against the present director of hospital wing when he was director of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital in 2009-10. This time he is reportedly found involved in corruption with four hospitals. What is noticeable is that the same person is indulging in more and more irregularities and misuse of public money because the government is not taking punitive steps against the persons indulging in corruption.
What is advisable is that the government must initiate legal process against the officials misusing health sector budget. Moreover, the Finance Minister must go for smaller budget and lower tax to keep corruption at low and ensure better use of available resources to offer better services to the people.
