Amritsar GMCH to return 2,000 sub-standard PPE kits

The local Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) has decided to return 2,000 sub-standard Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits it had received, earlier this week, from a private manufacturer. The hospital will also launch its own inquiry into the issue, even as deputy commissioner Shiv Dular Singh Dhillon had also ordered a probe on Friday.

Doctors, nurses and other hospital staff had refused to wear these kits, saying they were sub-standard and did not even include N-95 masks.

GMCH principal Dr Sujata Sharma said, “The institute has formed a team of senior doctors to probe the purchase of these 2,000 kits. Deputy medical superintendent Dr Narinder, Dr JS Kullar, Dr Ashwani Bhagat and Dr Jaspreet will look into the matter.” She refused to name the company saying that it would be revealed to the media after the inquiry.

She added, “The private firm that supplied the kits has been ordered to replace these with the required quality or refund the entire amount. The firm has agreed to these terms.” Dr Raman Sharma, medical superintendent of GNDH, who ordered the kits, said, “After receiving the stock, it was found substandard. The committee will inquire into the purchase and take suitable action.”