The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has pulled up Dr Rajinder Prada Government Medical, College (RPGMC), Tanda, Kangra, district in Himachal Pradesh (HP), for financial irregularities, delay in execution of projects and installation of equipment.

The CAG report, tabled in parliament earlier this month, said there was 88 per cent shortage of medical and other staff in the Super Specialty Block (SSB). The SSB had 209 beds and seven super-specialty departments.

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“No sanctioned posts of Senior Residents and other paramedical,support staff were created despite requirement sent by the Institution to the State Government in March 2013,” said CAG.

Out of the seven super-specialist departments, two departments, Cardio-Thoracic and Vascular Surgery (CTVS) and Nephrology, were not functional due to absence of staff. As a result, patients were being referred elsewhere and equipment installed in CTVS department was lying idle.

Further, the Indoor Patient Department in the SSB remained only partially functional due to non-availability of staff and only day-care services were being provided.

There was delay in construction of super speciality block by 8 months. Four modular operation theatres and three normal operation theatres remained nonfunctional as of May 2017 due to availability of one diesel generator instead of two.

The HP government accorded administrative approval, in March 2013, for Rs 12.16 crore and Rs 14.57 crore for construction of first year MBBS Students’ Hostel and Post Graduate Students’ Hostel respectively in the medical college.

They were to completed in two years but even after 5 years they were not realised due to inability to decide and select the appropriate agency to execute the work.

As the college did not submit utilisation certificates worth Rs 42.5 crore, received between November 2011 and November 2014, even till June 2017, the ministry did not release Rs 10 crore required for civil works. CAG pointed out that about 18 equipments were ordered at Rs 38.3 crore. But four equipments worth Rs 24.47 crore were still unavailable.

An amount of Rs 3.94 crore had been spent on procurement of 985 items like desktop computers, tablets, and other peripherals, but 821 of these items remained unutilised as of June 2017.

Two machines worth Rs 1.56 crore were lying idle since installation in November 2016. One machine was shifted to Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) Shimla, in March 2017.

About 38 equipments worth Rs 11.89 crore were purchased. But there was delay in installation from three to 20 months but no penalty was imposed on supplier.

The medical college had procured 30 computers and peripherals costing Rs 16.70 lakh in March 2013 through HP State Electronics Development Corporation (HPSEDC) without adopting any tendering process thus depriving the institute from obtaining the benefit of competitive rates, maintained CAG.