'Paid only meagre amount': Suppliers to take back medical stock from Kerala govt hospitals over arrears

Thiruvananthapuram: 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 association said 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.

The devices in question include stents, guide wires, guide catheters, and PTCA balloons. Despite multiple rounds of talks with Finance Minister K N Balagopal and Health Minister Veena George’s office in July and August, CDMID says the arrears remain largely unsettled.