LAHORE, Jan 29: Eight districts have so far managed to complete the process of placing orders for medicines procurement.

Of them, Okara has received its maiden consignment of Rs1.5 million, out of its order of Rs 4.8million.

Five more districts are in the process of placing orders, provided interested pharmaceutical firms deposit security money.

Sources said 16 districts, including Lahore, were still in the process of giving a final shape to their orders whereas five districts had not conveyed the health department the progress, if any, they had made in this regard.

This is for the first time that the districts are buying drugs independently. Earlier, the health department medical store depot (MSD) was responsible for making purchases for the entire province.

Under the devolution plan, the health department distributed a sum of Rs850 million among the 34 districts and asked them to call tenders and finalize procurement through the district purchase committees also called as standing purchase committees (SPCs).

The five-member SPC is headed by the DCO concerned and comprises executive district officers for health, finance and planning, community development and social welfare, and district officer coordination.

Initially, the districts faced problems because major pharmaceutical companies were not interested in bidding for small quantity of medicines. Seeing the situation, the health department allowed the SPCs to invite tenders from unregistered firms provided they submitted two per cent earnest money.

Meanwhile, the health department has reportedly asked each district to complete procurement by Feb 28 because the existing stocks are about to exhaust.

Sources told Dawn that Rawalpindi district had placed supply orders for 38 (medicine) items, Bahawalpur for 62; Sialkot for 69 items worth Rs10.9 million; Narowal 63 items worth Rs5.4 million; Lodhran two items worth Rs85,000; Hafizabad 46 items worth Rs4.26 million, Khanewal for two items worth Rs325,000.

The districts which are in the process of placing orders include Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Pakpattan, Rahim Yar Khan and Gujrat.