New Delhi, August 13, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh has sought a detailed report from the Health Secretary by August 17 on the procurement of ORS sachets, bedsheets, pillows and X-ray machines, while rejecting allegations by the Opposition of inflated prices and irregularities in government purchases.
In an exclusive interview with IANS, Singh said the government had asked the Health Secretary to verify the claims and provide details of the procurements.
On allegations that ORS sachets were purchased for Rs 15 each, the minister said his understanding was that the government had procured them at around Rs 8.70 per sachet.
“In May, when ORS sachets were being bought at Rs 8.75 each across the country, we bought them at Rs 8.70 each,” he said, adding that the report would establish whether any purchases were actually made at Rs 15 per sachet.
Singh has also sought clarification regarding an allegation concerning 16 lakh bedsheets purchased for hospitals. He asked officials to identify the hospitals using the bedsheets and verify claims that similar bedsheets, reportedly purchased by AIIMS for around Rs 400, were available for Rs 120.
On X-ray machines, the minister said the Health Secretary had been asked to ascertain whether machines purchased for Rs 33 lakh each were comparable in specifications and manufacturer to machines being cited by the Opposition as costing around Rs 10 lakh.
“I have asked the Secretary to tell us if the Rs 10 lakh X-ray machines being talked about are of the same specification and company as the Rs 33 lakh machines that we have bought,” he said.
The minister has also sought details of medical equipment purchased during the Covid-19 pandemic that was allegedly left unused because of staff shortages. He said a court had also sought information regarding such equipment.
Singh further asked officials to provide details of action taken against 15 medical equipment and medicine supply companies named by the Anti-Corruption Branch in a 2024 case concerning alleged irregularities.
He said anyone found responsible for wrongdoing would face action, while those making allegations without evidence would also be dealt with.
The minister declined to comment specifically on the Aam Aadmi Party’s allegation of a Rs 650-crore procurement scam in the Health Department, saying the Opposition had made allegations without substantiating them.
AAP legislators had recently alleged that ORS sachets and medical equipment, including portable X-ray machines, were procured at prices three to four times higher than their actual cost.
FOLLOW NOW
