Finally, Odisha govt decides to purchase PPE kits

Bhubaneswar: Finally, the Odisha government has agreed to accept the PPE kits of various suppliers to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Several trucks carrying the personal protective equipment (PPE) kits of various suppliers are standing outside the Odisha State Medical Corporation Ltd (OSMCL) in Bhubaneswar since past several days as it had refused to accept the kits.

The procurement committee, which met on Monday, decided to purchase the PPE kits from the suppliers. The PPE kits that have already arrived will be accepted, said an official.

The official said that the OSMCL has already procured 8.63 lakh PPE kits, which will be sent to various districts.

IANS was first to report that OSMCL is not accepting the delivery orders from various MSME suppliers.

OSMCL had floated a tender inviting for procurement of the kits. The initial deadline was the month of July. However, it has been abruptly ended in May. It informed the suppliers that it would not accept delivery after May 26.

The government’s plea was that it has enough stock of PPE kits.

(IANS)