MULTAN, Dec 24: The state-run health facilities in the Punjab have been facing acute shortage of emergency medicines, consumables and other items because no ‘meaningful’ purchases can be made after the introduction of devolution plan.

The shortage of essential items has also made the pathology laboratories and radiology departments inoperative in most of the institutions in the province.

The annual procurement of emergency medicines, consumables and other goods for district and tehsil headquarter hospitals, rural health centres and basic health units stood at Rs700 million to Rs800 million.

Under the devolution plan, district governments have been given the task of medicines procurement but without envisaging a clear procedure.

The executive district officers (health) were entrusted with the powers to call the tenders up to Rs150,000. National and multinational pharmaceutical firms did not take interest in the bidding for procurements worth more than the EDOs financial powers. Some micro firms took part in the tenders.

Tenders had to be cancelled as there were a lot of items which these firms were unable to supply.

Some district coordination officers approached the authorities with the demand that they should be entrusted with the powers of provincial procurement officers which were granted to the additional chief secretary under the purchase manual.

The Punjab authorities granted the powers of provincial procurement officers to the DCOs and those of the chief procurement officers to the EDOs (health).

Secretary of the department concerned enjoys the powers of the chief procurement officer under the purchase manual.

Health department sources said neither the purchase manual was amended nor the transfer of powers to DCOs and EDOs have been notified. As a result, reputed pharmaceutical firms remained reluctant to respond to the health department tenders.

Sources said the exercise has borne fruits only in Faisalabad district where emergency medicines were procured recently.

Punjab Minister for Health Prof Mahmood Ahmad Chaudhry recently held a meeting with the EDOs (health) of the 34 districts of the Punjab to resolve the crisis.

The EDOs reportedly asked the authorities to allow them to procure medicines at the rates the provincial health secretary had formulated in the beginning of the ongoing fiscal year before the introduction of local governments. The secretary who was present in the meeting outrightly opposed the suggestion saying that he should not be made a party (in the medicine procurement process).