CIAA seizes procurement documents from Mahakali Hospital

Kathmandu - The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), Kanchanpur Office has seized documents relating to the procurement of medical equipments including ventilator from the Mahakali Hospital.

The CIAA move follows alleged irregularities occurred in the procurement process. Office Spokesperson Top Bahadur Bista confirmed that the anti-graft body took the documents under its control and investigation into the matter is underway.

Earlier, the hospital management committee said it was not aware of procurement process which provided a ground to suspect irregularities .

Though the hospital on March 29 had announced a tender for the procurement, the management committee was not informed about it, said committee chair Krishna Dutta Joshi. A ventilator the hospital had procured on April 11 through a tender process is said to be of an old model and used one.

It is medical equipment which includes medicine gas analyser, defibrillator and monitor was provided to the hospital by the RJ Suppliers. The equipments are evaluated as not in good working conditions.

A team of technicians headed by biomedical engineer Harendra Chataut from the Sudurpaschim social development team assessed the state of medical equipments and concluded that they were already used ones and some parts are missing from them.