Probe ordered against two health officials over medicine procurement

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has ordered a corruption probe against two senior Delhi Health Department officers over alleged irregularities in the procurement of medicines and other medical supplies for Government hospitals.

Treating the allegations with “utmost seriousness”, the chief minister has sought an inquiry under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, into complaints against Dr Vatsala Aggarwal and Deputy Controller of Accounts Neeraj Chopra linked to the procurement process, a senior Delhi government official said.

The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of the Delhi government has arrested a doctor in connection with a Rs 350-crore fraud case involving the procurement of medicines and medical equipment for Government hospitals in the national Capital. The Delhi Government has suspended Dr Vinod Kumar Ranga, Head of Office of the Central Procurement Agency, and Dr Vatsala Aggarwal, former Director General of Health Services, after obtaining the approval of Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu.

“In the latest move, the government has recommended an investigation into allegations against Dr Vatsala Aggarwal and Deputy Controller of Accounts Neeraj Chopra following complaints regarding the functioning of the Central Procurement Agency (CPA),” the official said.