The Comptroller and Auditor General of India’s (CAG) performance audit report for Chhattisgarh’s healthcare sector, covering the years 2016-2022, has revealed significant irregularities and challenges. The report, tabled on the concluding day of the assembly session, outlines alleged procurement irregularities amounting to Rs 96.79 crore and highlights a severe shortage of doctors and paramedical staff.
The audit found that one of the biggest issues facing the healthcare industry is the number of open vacancies. The Directorate of Health Services stated that 34.62 percent of doctor positions—including those for specialists—were unfilled as of March 2022. In Naxal-affected districts like Bijapur, Sukma, and Kondagaon, where more than 50% of positions are empty, the situation is even worse. To be more precise, the vacancy rates in Bijapur were 68.18 percent, Sukma 58.67 percent, and Kondagaon 60.66 percent.
A substantial deficiency of specialized physicians—a 71 percent shortfall—was revealed by sources in the health department. Furthermore, there existed a deficit of 33 percent in Class 3 paramedics and a 52 percent deficit in Class 4 paramedics. In an attempt to alleviate these shortages, 515 specialty physicians were hired. In the interim, the state used monies from the National Health Mission (NHM), District Mineral Foundation Fund (DMF), and Jeevan Deep Samiti to engage 18,135 paramedics and doctors on a contractual basis. In comparison to the national average, this policy briefly raised the number of government doctors per 10,000 people.
The report also noted that, as of March 2022, seven district hospitals were lacking 103 necessary medications. Procedural errors were evident during the COVID-19 pandemic when products valued at Rs 23.13 crore were bought without the COVID committee’s approval. Furthermore, a considerable amount of procurements—between 26 and 50 percent—were decentralized, even though the Chhattisgarh State Medical Services Corporation Limited (CGMSCL) served as the procurement nodal agency. An amount of Rs 97.93 crore was spent locally on untested pharmaceuticals as a result of the contract procedure’ delays.
The audit study identifies a number of procurement-related problems, such as unnecessary equipment purchases, medicine purchases from companies on a blacklist, and an inadequate inventory management system that caused the loss of drugs valued at Rs 33.63 crore. According to the study, CGMSCL’s failure to create a purchasing manual that complied with the Chhattisgarh Stores purchasing Rules (CGSPR) resulted in multiple procurement practice infractions.
The period covered by the report spans both the BJP government (2013-2018) and the Congress government (2018-2023) in Chhattisgarh. Current Health Minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal acknowledged the issues and stated that an inquiry has been initiated to address the irregularities and recruit necessary healthcare staff. Former Health Minister T S Singh Deo emphasized the need for accountability, stating that the government is answerable for the public money involved and should address the report’s findings without political bias.
SOURCE:
INDIAN EXPRESS
