Tender irregularities alleged at Lok Nayak Hospital; Medical Director, 4 doctors under probe

New Delhi: The medical director of Lok Nayak Hospital and four other doctors have been accused of manipulating a government tender related to the hiring of nursing orderlies at the hospital.

The Delhi government's Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) has received a complaint alleging that the category of nursing orderlies was deliberately changed from unskilled to semi-skilled in a tender floated on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal. The tender was intended for the recruitment of 103 nursing orderlies at Lok Nayak Hospital.

In Delhi government hospitals, nursing orderlies are support staff who assist nurses and doctors with basic patient care, hygiene, transporting patients, preparing them for procedures, and managing supplies, essentially acting as crucial hands-on helpers for daily ward operations, covering tasks from patient admission/discharge to feeding and bed-making.

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Following the complaint, the ACB has requested certified copies of all files related to the tender, along with documents linked to the work contract agreement for the nursing orderlies.

The doctors involved include the Medical Director, Chairman of Tender Committee, DCA, a doctor and the Purchase Officer, as reported by The Daily.

Government tenders for hiring staff and services are usually floated on the GeM portal, which is a national public procurement platform and a digital marketplace for government bodies, including ministries and PSUs, for the purchase of common goods and services directly from registered sellers, fostering transparency, efficiency, and inclusivity in public purchasing.

Meanwhile, sources said that Lok Nayak Hospital held an internal meeting on January 7 to examine the circumstances under which the category of nursing orderlies was allegedly changed in the tender. The change reportedly led to the failure of the process and wastage of time and manpower.

Speaking to The Indian Express, the Medical Director said, "It’s false. No such tender happened."

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