KARACHI: Officials in-charge of Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and Karachi Institute of Heart Disease (KIHD) have declared new procurement arrangements for the two facilities to be in violation of the rules of business of the Sindh Public Procurement Regularity Authority. Speaking to Daily Times on Monday, They said the new arrangement was an attempt to infringe upon the administrative jurisdictions of the two hospitals’ administrations. Under the new arrangement, the medical superintendent of the Sindh Government Hospital, New Karachi, is responsible for procurement of medicines and equipment for Abbasi Shaheed and KIHD. A directive has been issued by the health secretary in this regard. A three-member committee has been formed for each facility, under the chairmanship of Asif Zaman, the Central district deputy commissioner, who will be responsible to look after procurement. Tenders for purchase of hospital machinery and medicine worth Rs200 million in the first phase have already been awarded to different firms, officials of the Directorate of Health told Daily Times. The procurement orders were invited for construction of ENT/EYE and Fascia Maxillary Block at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and establishment of administration block at KIHD. However, medical superintendents of both facilities expressed their reservations over the new arrangements, saying that it was in violation of procurement rules. They said that instead of taking away procurement related decisions from the hospital administrations, procurement committees could have been formed at the hospital level to regulate purchase of medicines and equipment. Earlier, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation was responsible for procurement of medicines and medical equipment as the two facilities were being run under the civic entity, they said. They alleged that the person given responsibility for procurement had no experience of work in the field. Dr Jabbar Memon, the special secretary of the Health Department, maintained that the step was taken to promote transparency in procurement of medicines and medical equipment. Published in Daily Times, April 17th 2018.