The Cabinet of Ministers yesterday granted approval for several key medical procurements aimed at strengthening healthcare services across the country. These include the purchase of essential medicines and medical supplies used for the treatment of chronic and critical illnesses.
Accordingly, the Cabinet approved two major procurements for epoetin pre-filled 4,000 IU syringes, a medicine used to treat patients with chronic kidney disease. The first involves the purchase of 650,000 syringes, and the second, 1,600,000 syringes. Both procurements were awarded to M/S Reliance Life Sciences (Pvt) Ltd of India, the lowest responsive bidder, at total costs of US$ 574,600 and US$ 1.414 million respectively. These approvals were granted based on the recommendations of the Procurement Appeal Board and the High-Level Standing Procurement Committee.
In another decision, approval was granted for the procurement of 218,000 vials of 1,000,000 IU of Colistimethate Sodium, an antibiotic used to treat serious infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria. The contract was awarded to M/S Ceyoka (Pvt) Ltd of Sri Lanka, with Ciron Drugs & Pharmaceuticals (Pvt) Ltd of India as the manufacturer, at a total cost of Rs. 32.48 million.
The Cabinet also approved the procurement of 500,000 rolls of 10cm x 10m soft cloth liner tape, used for bandaging medical equipment and pipes. The supply contract was awarded to George Steuart Health (Pvt) Ltd of Sri Lanka, with Precision Coatings Pvt. Ltd of India as the manufacturer, at a cost of Rs. 270.56 million (excluding VAT).
Further, approval was granted for the procurement of 24,000 vials of 100 mg Infliximab injection, used in the treatment of Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and certain types of arthritis. The contract was awarded to Celltrion Inc. of the Republic of Korea for US$ 3 million, as the lowest responsive bidder.
Additionally, the Cabinet approved the purchase of 448,000 IU of Human Growth Hormone (Somatropin) for injection, used to treat growth hormone deficiencies in children and adults. The procurement was awarded to A. Baur & Co. (Pvt) Ltd of Sri Lanka, with Merck Serono SPA of Italy as the manufacturer, at a total cost of Rs. 860.50 million.
All procurements were approved based on the recommendations of the High-Level Standing Procurement Committee and the Procurement Appeal Board, following international competitive bidding processes.
