Despite having funds for buying medicines for hospitals, the state's homeopathy department is still to finalise the procedure for drug purchase. While the department is struggling to prepare the rate contracts for drugs, the hospitals are facing constant drug shortage, with no purchase done since April.

A budget of Rs 2.5 crore was approved by the state government for the purchase of homeopathic drugs in the year 2011-12 and the fund of Rs 2.65 crore was granted by the Central government for the same, right in the beginning of the financial year.

However, the tender process for purchase of these drugs is still to be completed. In fact, the directorate of homeopathic medicine has cancelled one tender after opening the technical as well as financial bids, while the retendering process is still on.

The first tender this year was advertised in May. However, due to certain technical flaws, the entire bidding process was cancelled, said V Prasad, Director, Homeopathic Medicine.

However, claims the director, the procedure of retendering is almost complete. "Once the first tenders were cancelled, we immediately went for retendering. Both the technical and financial bids for the second tender were also opened last week," said Prasad.

Maintaining that the department is doing its best to finalise the process of preparation of rate contract, the director said that within a week, the list of selected bidders will be sent to the government for approval. The approval is done by the High Purchase Committee, which is expected to meet in this month, said Prasad. After the tenders are finalised, the rate contract will be prepared and orders for purchase of the required drugs will be placed.

For the past three financial years, no tendering for the purchase of these drugs was done. The last rate contract for homeopathic drugs was prepared in the year 2007-08. "Till now, the medicines were purchased by quotation, which means the drugs are bought at a higher price than the price available through rate contract," said a senior official of the department.

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