K-P govt to buy 16 ambulance units for Malakand

Cuts the figure down from 21 after an increase in costs

PESHAWAR: The provincial government has decided to purchase 16 ambulances for hospitals in the Malakand Division. This is contrary to its original plan to purchase 21 ambulances. However, cuts were made because prices of the vehicles nearly doubled during the approval process.

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) health department, with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), had floated a tender for the supply of 25 Toyota Hiace Ambulances for the Malakand Division.

The USAID had pledged to provide a total of Rs637.98 million ($4.12 million) for the uplift of the health sector in the province. Of this, Rs424.13 million ($2.739 million) had been provided to the government.

The remaining sum, Rs199.34 million ($1.287 million) had been allocated for the purchase of ambulances through the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).

Under the project concept-I (PC-I) of the project, a total of 21 ambulances were supposed to be purchased. However, the government later included four ambulances for the Saidu Group of Teaching Hospital in the division, raising the total to 25 ambulances.

An official of the health department said that the department needed Rs147 million for purchasing 21 ambulances.

In a meeting on Monday between the K-P health secretary, officials from the PDMA, and the Malakand Division’s district health officers, officials said the purchase of ambulances was deliberated upon.

The meeting was told that each ambulance was supposed to cost Rs6.557 million. Subsequently, a project concept-I (PC-I) worth Rs137.69 million for 21 vehicles was prepared and subsequently approved by a steering committee in August.

The project director said that the process for purchasing the ambulances had been finalised but when it sought purchase bids, they received quotes of Rs13.57 million for each ambulance, almost twice as much as identified in the PC-I — which also included money for procuring ambulances for the Saidu Group of Teaching Hospitals.

Saidu Group of Teaching Hospital medical superintendent told the meeting that the PDMA had approved Rs324.42 million from the money being provided by USAID, to purchase four ambulances and other equipment for the hospital. However, the fresh bid price for ambulances means that they will require additional funds for Rs155 million.

The PDMA director, though, declared the provision of additional funds as impossible at the moment and asked the health department should submit a revised proposal for the project.

He further said issues should be reviewed and resolved in light of the rules set by USAID to avoid any complications.

The health department is mulling an option to reduce the number of ambulances to be purchased from 21 to 16.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 31^st, 2019.