JKMSCL acquires substandard PPE Kits to JK Hospitals

Srinagar (KPS):  Medical Supplies Corporation limited, responsible for providing medical supplies to Govt. Hospitals across Jammu and Kashmir has violated all the norms for acquiring protective gear for doctors and many medics fear that Doctors falling victim to Covid-19 is a reason that the corporation is providing sub-standard material to the health department.
According to Kashmir press service, the PPE Kits provided to medical and paramedical staff has to be 90GSM while as the medical supplies corporation has provided only seventy GSM personal protective Kits to the hospitals across Jammu and Kashmir.
As per the laid down procedure the PPE kits have to be DRDO and Sithra approved and as per the reports the kits acquired by the Corporation have none of these approvals, which clearly indicates that the laid down norms for the acquisition of the protective gear have been totally ignored.
The face masks that have been provided with the PPE kits are of Venus Company which according to the MCI guidelines is a known substandard brand.

An official at the corporation’s Srinagar office told KPS that Corporation is supposed to only acquire the protective gear and not check its quality. He said that Corporation has the discretion of providing whatever stuff is available in the market and Journalists should not “peep their nose” into everything.
When asked, “Why the corporation does not provide ninety GSM PPE Kits to the hospitals as is the MCI guideline?’ the official said that they are supposed to provide whatever they get from the market and this indicates how arrogantly the corporation has been doing its business, putting the lives of the Doctors and the patients to risk.
President doctor’s association Kashmir , Dr Nisar ul Hassan told KPS that it is very unfortunate that medical supplies corporation limited is providing sub standard protective gear to the hospitals putting the lives of the doctors and other paramedical staff to risk.
Dr. Nisar said that doctors and other paramedical staff are the frontline workers in the fight against COVID-19 and it is imperative upon health department to protect these frontline warriors against the infection.
“If doctors are not protected against the COVID-19 Infection and if these front line workers are made vulnerable, the whole health sector will crumble and there will be havoc”. Dr Nisar said. He said that an inquiry into the matter should be initiated without delay so that the health workers are saved from becoming a victim of the pandemic.
When contacted Managing Director,JKMSCL, Dr yashpal Sharma told KPS that most of the stuff provided to JK Hospitals is actually provided by the central ministry of health and family welfare. He said that The tenders issued for the acquisition of PPE Kits are as per the norms of the MCI and we adhere to all the rules and regulations of the council. (KPS)