Mumbai: Maharashtra is probably the first Indian state to establish legislation governing the purchase of medical goods for public hospitals and medical schools. The Maharashtra Medical Products Procurement Authority Act, 2023, which was approved on Friday by the governor, was designed to simplify the procurement procedure by setting up a specific department that will only deal with the purchasing of medical supplies and medications.

In Maharashtra, a separate procurement authority has been long-requested, particularly after the disastrous 2017 move to consolidate purchases under Haffkine Biopharmaceutical. The agency will be governed by the chief minister, with the ministers of the public health and medicine education ministries acting as essential members due to the agency′s function in procurement for these departments primarily, even if the exact rules are still being determined.

Mr. Tanaji Sawant, the minister of public health, claimed that an independent procurement authority will speed up the procurement and supply systems for hospitals run by corporations, districts, and the state government, making it simpler to get medications and centralizing purchases under one roof.

Dr. Gauri Rathod and Dr. Umesh Shirodkar from the Directorate of Health Services, who were also involved in the laws drafting, as well as Mr. Nawin Sona, secretary of the public health department, stated that the procurement department will be created from scratch and will hopefully take over Haffkine′s role as the buyer in the coming months.

Mr. Sawant stated that Maharashtra is possibly the first state to have such an act and added that the department will be in charge of purchasing medications, tools for diagnosis and treatment, consumables, surgical equipment, and other necessities for medical facilities.

Government hospitals and colleges in the state currently need to wait 2-4 years for equipment because of the drawn-out tendering process. Haffkine acquisitions were made for all state medical schools, hospitals, and health facilities, but they lacked the staff, knowledge, and resources necessary to scale. 

(Source: https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/policy/in-a-1st-maharashtra-passes-law-for-public-medical-purchases/98744780 )