Akola: A corruption scandal has rocked the District Women’s Hospital in Akola, where serious irregularities have been uncovered in the tender process for recruitment under the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) supported by the National Health Mission (NHM).Following the revelations, three senior health officials — district civil surgeon Dr Tarangtushar Vare, hospital superintendent Dr Jayant Patil, and administrative officer AN Dambre — have been suspended.The action was taken on the directives of state health minister Dr Prakash Abitkar, and a departmental inquiry has been initiated against the trio.The matter came to light during the ongoing monsoon session of the state assembly when BJP MLA from Washim, Shyam Khadke, raised the issue in the House. He alleged that the recruitment process for 31 NICU contract positions for the year 2024–25 was manipulated to benefit favored contractors, bypassing norms and transparency.According to the investigation report, tenders were invited via the Govt e-Marketplace (GeM) portal and published on July 19, 2024, with the last submission date being July 29, 2024. Despite receiving 72 bids, only 4 were shortlisted for the final round, and just two were granted the contract. The selection process lacked transparency and violated several norms, the report states.The inquiry found that disqualifications were made without properly documenting the reasons, and decisions appeared to be made to benefit selected bidders. MLA Khadke accused the officials of misappropriating lakhs of rupees through this rigged tender process.The govt quickly constituted a probe committee, whose findings confirmed procedural lapses, favoritism, and technical manipulation. As a result, all three senior officers have been suspended pending further departmental inquiry. Health department sources have indicated that if found guilty, the officials may face harsher penalties, including criminal proceedings.
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