Surgical equipment to be supplied through Amrit Pharmacy; surgeries at Sree Chitra Institute to resume today

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: There is a sense of relief for patients at Sree Chitra Institute, as surgeries that were postponed due to the unavailability of equipment are set to resume today. This decision was made during a meeting held in the presence of Union Minister Suresh Gopi. Surgical equipment will now be supplied through HLL’s Amrit Pharmacy.

The postponed procedures were interventional radiology surgeries. Patients have been instructed to report to the hospital as per their original schedule. Both the Youth Congress and DYFI had staged protest marches to the hospital over the issue.

The crisis arose because companies refused to supply equipment due to the institute not renewing contracts since 2023. As the situation escalated, the institute's director, Dr. Sanjay Bihari, reportedly requested the intervention of Minister Suresh Gopi. The minister held discussions with officials from the Purchase Department and Amrit Pharmacy, and later summoned department heads. It was then decided to assign the responsibility to Amrit Pharmacy, which has assured that equipment will be made available starting today. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) will be signed within a week.

Key concerns raised by doctors

• As per central government guidelines, surgical equipment must be procured only through the GEM portal.
• Interventional radiology equipment is foreign-made and not available on the GEM portal.
• Even AIIMS depends on Amrit Pharmacies to overcome such limitations.
• Doctors at Sree Chitra had informed the director about this issue months ago.
• Though a committee was proposed to study purchases via Amrit, no action was taken.

Higher costs, higher hills: The cost of surgical equipment at Amrit Pharmacy is higher. Sree Chitra had previously procured these items directly from companies at the lowest possible rates. Amrit, however, purchases from the companies and then supplies to the hospital. With higher equipment costs, patients without health insurance coverage may face significantly increased medical bills.

“This is a solvable issue. We need a corruption-free solution so that patients don’t suffer.” – Suresh Gopi, Union Minister