Healthcare firm blacklisted in Odisha for poor quality saline drip

Bhubaneswar: Taking strong action, Odisha State Medical Corporation Ltd (OSMCL) blacklisted a healthcare company for supplying poor quality saline (IV fluid) drip under the Niramaya Yojana.

A showcause notice has been served to the Gujarat-based healthcare firm ‘Aculife Healthcare’ along with blacklisting it in the State.

With the move, the company will not be allowed to participate in tender process of the OSMCL to supply saline for the next three years. The firm was awarded with a tender to supply the IV fluid drips under the Niramaya Yojana in 2016-17.

The authorities decided to blacklist the firm after seven batches of IV drips manufactured by Aculife Healthcare were found to be substandard following examination by the Corporation.

Although, the expiry date mentioned on the saline was upto the year 2020, the quality was very poor, source in the OSMCL said.

Following the move, the supply of saline manufactured by the company has been stopped to the hospitals.

As several other healthcare companies have been supplying saline in Odisha apart from Aculife Healthcare, there will be no shortage of these products in the hospitals, an official source in OSMCL said.