Punjab Government purchased dozens of drugs and disposable surgical items at higher rates than Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Government, Dawn newspaper reported.
This mismanagement in purchasing resulted in a loss of Rs. 1.489 billion to the provincial government. According to the report 95 same items were purchased by both governments at different prices.
Check the difference of rates to know how much more Punjab government paid for the same products which KPK government purchased at far lower rates.
Item | Punjab Government (Rs) | KPK Government (Rs) | Difference in Rates (Rs) |
CVP Line Double Lumen Drug | 3000 | 2,530 | 470 |
Erythropoietin | 649 | 383 | 266 |
Tobramycin + Dexamethasone | 122.85 | 26.70 | 96.15 |
Circle Round Body Needle | 154 | 18 | 136 |
Formulary list of Punjab government had 218 items while KPK government had 700 items. Punjab government allowed local purchases at market rates to fill the gap of less items in the list.
Malik Ahmad Khan, spokesperson of Punjab government rejected the news that Punjab government purchased medicines expensive from pharmaceuticals companies. ‘We have purchased 38 items on lower prices than KP’ he added.
He also revealed that all procured medicines of Punjab were tested and qualified by renowned international bodies and WHO qualified laboratories such as:
- Chemical Center – Singapore
- Intertek – Switzerland
- Cenqam – South Africa
- Health Concept Thailand
On the other hand KPK government seeks international certification from the companies attested from the embassy of the manufacturing countries to make sure that the medicines are used in the parent companies.
In 2017-2017 fiscal year 750 companies applied to KPK government for selling their products, only 182 were approved.