SHC seeks tender documents for procurement of robotic surgical systems

The Sindh High Court on Thursday directed the Sindh government, health department and others to file comments and submit all relevant documents of the tender with regard to the import of robotic surgical systems by the government for Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) and Liaquat University Hospital Jamshoro (LUH).

The direction came on a petition of Khawar Mehmood Afridi, who had challenged the tender for the procurement of the robotic surgical system for the JPMC and LUH Jamshoro claiming that the robotic surgical system was being procured at rates much higher than the market price.

The petitioner had submitted that the Sindh government issued a tender for the import of robotic surgical systems for the JPMC and LUH without fulfilling lawful procedures. He alleged that officials in the health department were hand in gloves to siphon off the public money by committing fraud in public procurement, which was evident from the fact that the cost of the robotic surgical system was $37,500 per unit in open market, but the same was intended to be purchased for $1.5 million and ultimately the supplier would have earned a profit of more than 1,500 per cent.

The petitioner had submitted that former caretaker health minister Dr Saad Khalid Niaz also halted the deal for the procurement of the robotic surgical system for four hospitals involving Rs4.427 billion and opined that such funds were required to be used for necessary health needs.

He submitted that poor people of the province were facing lack of first aid treatment in government hospitals due to shortage of medicines, medical equipment and medical staff and funds allocated for the robotic surgical system could be utilised for essential medical equipment for hospitals on a priority basis.

He said the tender process should be transparent and measures should be adopted to save the public money. The high court was requested to set aside the bidding process of the expensive robotic surgical system and ensure that the procurement process was strictly under the procurement regulations instead of giving a contract to favourite companies.

An additional advocate general sought further time to file comments on behalf of the Sindh government and other respondents. A division bench headed by SHC Chief Justice Mohammad Shafi Siddiqui directed the provincial law officer to file the same along with all relevant record within 10 days with an advance copy to the petitioner’s counsel.

The high court observed that the LUH, the procuring agency in one of the petition, had already filed comments, a copy of which had been provided to the petitioner’s counsel. The bench directed its office to fix the matter within three weeks for further hearing.