Central procurement agency for health goods proposed

NEW DELHI - The government is considering a proposal for setting up a central agency for procuring, storing and distributing health sector goods for various national programmes, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said Wednesday.

The existing system of procurement and distribution is transparent. The Central Procurement Agency (CPA) is an initiative taken by the ministry to further improve the existing system, Azad said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

The minister said that the creation of a new agency will put in place a transparent and competitive system for procurement so that goods are procured at competitive rates.

He said that setting up and managing an efficient supply chain, keeping service as prime motive, preventing stock-outs and reduction in wastage due to excess inventory, and improving system of quality control so that the end-user gets quality products were the main goals.

Azad added that the ministry would interact with stakeholders on regular basis so as to improve the system further on the basis of their feedback.