Balkh: 17m afs extra charged in hospital items’ purchase

KABUL (Pajhwok): Fifty-one items have been purchased for the Balkh Hospital and a clinic by charging 17 million afghanis extra as compared to their normal rates, Pajhwok Afghan News has learnt reliably.

Among these items is a machine the normal price of which is 35,000 afs but it was purchased for 438,000 afs while with a huge difference an ambulance is purchased for 8.6 million afs and its normal price is 1.2 million afs.

These items were purchased last year in November and December by the Bam Dunya Logistic Company for Women and Children Addicts Hospital in Mazar-i-Sharif and for a clinic in Marmal district.

Pajhwok Afghan News received a list of the items purchased for hospitals at a very higher rate compared to their normal market price. Former Balkh Health Director Dr. Naseer Ahmad Durrani and the assigned delegation had signed in the list.

Of the 51 items, 47 were purchased for the Women Drug and Children Addicts Hospital and remaining 12 items for the clinic in Marmal district.

The number of total purchased items is 59, but Pajhwok was able to get the prices of only 51 items from the market and the rates of the remaining eight items could not found.

Purchase and market prices list of hospital equipment
Comparison	Market price	Purchase price	Item Description	NO
13	35000	438300	Electrograph machine	1
10	500	5000	Chairs for waiting room	2
7	850	6000	Clock	3
6	800	5000	Single person mattress	4
6	1767	10000	Electric sweeper machine	5
6	900	5000	Hanger	6
5	1600	8000	Green Board	7
4	9000	40000	1.60 cm desk	8
4	4500	20000	1.40 cm desk	9
4	4500	20000	Food appliances set	10
4	3400	15000	Single bed	11
4	2700	11300	Multimedia projector sheet	12
4	5500	20000	Clothes cupboard	13
3	4400	15000	Multimedia projector	14
3	30000	100000	Metallic chair for 3-persons	15
3	400000	1291000	100mil X-ray machine	16
3	2156000	6800000	Toyota ambulance	17
3	1600	5000	White Board	18
3	32350	100000	Air-condition 18,000 BTU	19
3	120000	360000	Electricity Shock Machine	20
3	1700	5000	Anti-fire cylinder	21
3	350	1000	Double locally made pillow	22
3	350	1000	Bed sheet	23
3	11200	30000	HP Printer 3 in one	24
3	1848000	4822000	Echography Machine	25
3	42500	110000	Laptop computer	26
3	8000	20000	Water displacer freezer	27
2	4200	10000	Woody cabinet for files 2/80cm	28
2	43000	100000	Desktop computer	29
2	2200	5000	Lather made chair	30
2	8800	20000	Clothes washing & drying machine	31
2	45000	100000	Conference desk 6cm	32
2	9200	20000	32-inches Sony TV	33
2	205000	440000	Micro Lab Machine	34
2	2800	6000	Single Chines aluminum chair	35
2	24500	50000	7-persons lather couch	36
2	2450	5000	Large dustbin	37
2	500	1000	Plastic chair with different colors	38
2	14000	28000	Section Machine	39
2	61600	120000	Photocopy machine	40
2	3150	6000	Two cabinets for medicines	41
2	577500	1100000	200ml Chines X-ray machine	42
2	45000	80000	Photography Machine	43
2	8500	15000	Gas and electric Turkish heater with 10kg cylinder	44
2	423500	700000	Anstizi Machine	45
1	3400	5000	3 slots Gas heater	46
1	3600	5000	5-litre electric water heater	47
1	11500	15000	1,200 KW UPS	48
1	4500	5000	Tea appliances	49
1	21000	20000	Grass cutter machine	50
1	4000	2000	Rechargeable light	51

Government purchased total	27,173,900
Market price total	10,100,836
Comparison	17,073,064

Pajhwok received price quotations from Wahidullah Furniture, D Com Computer Sales, Abdul QaharAzeemi Business Centre, National Stationary Sales, Aminullah Sales Centre, Anar Dargi Limited, AspaFarma, ZinanAbasin Limited and other medical companies.

Pajhwok reporter in northern Balkh province tried to contact officials in the Marmal District Hospital, but no contact could be established with them regarding the expensive purchase of equipment for the clinic.

Pajhwok also reached out to former Balkh Health Director Dr. Naseer Ahmad Durrani on November 1, and shared the matter of expensive purchase of hospital equipment.

He said recommendation for this project, agreement of the health ministry and approval of budget for the purchase of these items and all other related process had been completed before he took charge and he had only demanded payment for the company.

“This case has landed at the Public Health Ministry audit office as well, they conducted their inspection and found no contrast in the prices and quality of the equipment because the inspection and procurement officials checked these prices with the market prices of the time,” he said.

But incumbent Health Department Director Dr. Khalil Hikmati said contract for purchasing hospital equipment had already been inked before his appointment. However, he said, if there were doubts regarding the purchase of items, a third party should investigate alleged corruption.

“Companies are bound to pay tax to the government, therefore they are allowed to purchase an item at 25 percent higher rate but if this percentage is exceeded, than it is unfair,” he said.

Seven purchased items could not be delivered to the hospitals after the passage of one year

Women and Children Drug Addicts Hospital Director Dr. Esmatullah Karimi said seven items from the total 47 items had not been delivered to them so far.

“A conference desk, five single beds, five locally-made bed sheets, 210 square metres curtains and related materials, three gas cylinders, four food appliances and four teapots have not been transferred to the hospital,” he said.

He claimed items which had not been handed over were still in the warehouse of the health department and they often requested the ministry to deliver these items to the hospital.

Dr. Hikmati acknowledged these items were in the warehouse but no one had asked him to hand over these items to the drug hospital.

Who is the owner of Bam Dunya Logistic Company?

A source in the ministry of Commerce and Industry said that Toryali head of the Bam Dunya Logistic Company is the son of Sultan Mohammad and the company assistant Nangyali is the brother of Toryali. The License No. of the company is D41802.

According to Toryali, the above items are purchased according to the market price and there was no difference existed.

Referring to the purchase of ambulance, he said the vehicle is zero kilometer and was fully equipment with advance necessary machinery.

Pajhwok shared expensive purchase of medical equipment with the Ministry of Health eight days earlier, but the ministry did not respond.

According to a well-placed source in the ministry the matter was being investigated by the audit department of the ministry.

This report has been produced by Pajhwok and financially supported by UNDP.

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Balkh: 17m afs extra charged in hospital items’ purchase