Complaint Claims Patients Were Sent to Private Vendor, Violating Procurement Norms
New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has directed the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, to investigate serious allegations that doctors at the premier medical institution bypassed procurement norms and sent patients to purchase costly brain implants from a private vendor.
The action follows a complaint filed by the Sahyadri Rights Forum, a non-governmental organization, which alleged that patients were being forced to buy flow diverters (a type of brain stent) directly from a private seller instead of availing them through the hospital’s institutional procurement system—thereby incurring inflated costs.
The NHRC has taken cognisance of the issue and has asked AIIMS Delhi to submit an action-taken report within 15 days. The complaint also calls for a detailed investigation, compensation for affected patients, and strict disciplinary action against those found responsible.
According to a June 2 news report, doctors from the AIIMS neuroradiology department allegedly shared contact information of a private vendor with patients or their caregivers, directing them to purchase a flow diverter, a device used to treat brain vessel disorders. The report states that each unit was sold for Rs 5.95 lakh plus taxes—much higher than Rs 4.75 lakh plus taxes, the price paid for the same device in 2023 by Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology, a Central Government hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.
Both devices reportedly have the same maximum retail price of Rs 11.90 lakh, highlighting a potential violation of the “fall clause,” a policy requiring uniform pricing for goods across government institutions.
“The allegations made in the complaint prima facie seem to be serious violations of the human rights of the victims,”
the NHRC stated in its notice to the AIIMS Director and Medical Superintendent.
Some faculty members at AIIMS had reportedly raised concerns about this practice internally as early as 2024, fearing that it was exposing patients to unnecessary expenses. However, the issue persisted.
To address procurement inconsistencies, AIIMS had previously initiated a centralised procurement system in 2023, replacing the older decentralised model which allowed individual departments to procure items independently. Despite this reform, the current complaint suggests lapses in enforcement.
The outcome of the NHRC-mandated inquiry is awaited and is expected to have broader implications for medical procurement transparency and patient rights protection in premier healthcare institutions across India.
