Odisha Youth Congress has alleged corruption and deliberate delays in tendering by the Odisha State Medical Corporation Limited (OSMCL), claiming that repeated changes to technical specifications and delays in procurement have affected the availability and quality of essential medical infrastructure across the state. OSMCL managing director Smita Pani denied wrongdoing and said the corporation follows all applicable rules, regulations and guidelines in its tendering processes.
Odisha Youth Congress president Ranjit Patra alleged that two OSMCL officials were delaying government procedures and tenders by repeatedly citing incompatibility in technical specifications. According to Patra, the specifications were altered several times to push participating companies into informal negotiations, after which tenders were awarded to firms that had an “understanding” with the officials.
Patra further alleged that technical committee members were pressured to approve specification changes after being told that the decisions had government backing. The allegations were made at a time when the organisation said it had identified shortages of critical equipment through its work with blood banks across Odisha, including the facilitation of blood donation camps.
The equipment cited by the Youth Congress included storage refrigerators, minus 80-degree Celsius and minus 40-degree Celsius freezers, centrifuges and other blood-bank infrastructure. The organisation claimed that OSMCL had begun tender processes for such equipment in 2023, but that they had not been finalised because of the alleged personal interests of the two officials.
The allegations also covered a tender for furniture and accessories supplied to government medical colleges. The Youth Congress claimed that some of the furniture was substandard, had begun rusting and was already in poor condition at institutions including Puri Medical College. The report did not include an independent technical assessment of the furniture or details of any inspection conducted by the medical college or another government agency.
OSMCL operates under Odisha’s health and family welfare department and is responsible for procurement-related processes supporting public health institutions. Delays in equipment procurement can affect the functioning of facilities that depend on specialised storage and laboratory systems, although the source report did not quantify the number of facilities affected or confirm the operational impact of the alleged shortages.
Patra also alleged that the officials had delayed compliance with High Court directions relating to government schemes and equipment procurement. The Youth Congress demanded that pending tenders be completed quickly, that the allegations be investigated, that the officials’ assets be scrutinised and that action be taken within a month.
The organisation said it would stage protests outside the health minister’s residence if no action was taken. OSMCL’s stated position is that its tendering work is conducted according to rules and guidelines. The next steps will depend on whether the health department orders an inquiry, reviews the pending procurement files or responds to the demands raised by the Youth Congress.
