Medical suppliers to take back devices from Kerala govt hospitals over non-payment of arrears

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala’s public health system is facing a critical situation where the state-run medical colleges and hospitals could stop its operations and procedures as it is yet to pay for the equipment's it purchased from agencies. It is at this juncture that the Chamber of Distributors for Medical Implants and Disposables (CDMID) has warned the Kerala government that it will take back the critical cardiac devices supplied to government hospitals and medical colleges across the state if arrears are not cleared by October 5.

The KGMOA (Kerala government medical officers association) and the IMA has urged the state health department to intervene in the matter and ensure the pending bills are paid so as to avoid any medical apathy that could endanger the safety of patients.

"The government should pay the arrears to the CDMID so that lives of patients are not affected”, said Dr Sreejith, a senior consultant and member of IMA chapter, Thiruvananthapuram.

Health department to pay Rs 158 crores to CDMID

CDMID officials say that despite repeated appeals, only a "meagre amount” of dues had been settled, while arrears up to March 2025 stand at nearly ₹158.7 crore. CDMID had earlier halted supplies from September 1 after submitting a letter in August highlighting the issue. It had also urged the government to clear invoices under the Karunya Arogya Suraksha Padhathi (KASP), Karunya Benevolent Fund (KBF) and Medical Insurance Scheme for State Employees and Pensioners (MEDISEP) projects.

In its latest communication, CDMID said it had engaged with medical superintendents and cardiology department heads in several government institutes and was assured that payments would be processed.

"We are willing to wait till October 5. If the arrears up to March 31, 2025, remain unpaid, we will be forced to take back our consignment stock. This is not intended to trouble the public but to ensure our survival," the association said.

The pending dues are spread across 21 government hospitals and medical colleges. Kozhikode Medical College Hospital leads with ₹34.9 crore, followed by Thiruvananthapuram MCH (₹29.56 crore), Kottayam MCH (₹21.74 crore), Pariyaram MCH (₹13.96 crore), and Ernakulam Government Hospital (₹13.74 crore), the CDMID said in July. Of the total arrears, ₹41.34 crore were pending up to June 2024, with an additional ₹117.34 crore accumulating since then.

The crisis has already hit patient care. In a letter to the Principal of Kozhikode Medical College, Dr Rajesh G, Head of Cardiology, earlier flagged a severe shortage of essential hardware in the Cath Lab. "We are unable to perform primary angioplasty for heart attack patients or elective coronary procedures due to the lack of wires, balloons, and stents. Patients can only be managed medically with thrombolysis, and the department cannot take responsibility for complications arising from this situation,” he warned.