Me thiyenne. Owata tender ehema call karala karanna one nikan eka paarata ganna baha
PET/CT scanner tender award gets January 2017 deadline
By Kumudini Hettiarachchi
The much-awaited tender for the supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the PET/CT Scanner for the Apeksha Hospital (National Cancer Institute), Maharagama was announced last Monday by the Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine Ministry.
The tender is expected to be awarded by January 2017 the latest, official sources told the Sunday Times, adding that bids were also called, on the same day, for the construction of the building under the specifications of the Atomic Energy Authority to house this PET scan machine.
While in Monday’s advertisement the ‘Date of pre-bid meeting and venue’ has been set for October 25 at 10 a.m. at the conference hall of the Apeksha Hospital, the sources reiterated that all efforts are being made to expedite the process seeing the urgent need.
This came as the Sunday Times learnt that there is already a PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan machine at the Epilepsy Unit of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL), awaiting installation.
It was three months ago, at the end of June, that over Rs. 250 million was collected through contributions from the public to purchase the PET/CT Scanner for the Apeksha Hospital.
People across the country rallied round, after a cancer patient’s father, M.S.H. Mohamed of the Kadijah Foundation — seeing the hardship and cost incurred by many as there was only one PET scan machine for the whole country at that time and that too in a private hospital — launched a major campaign in March to collect funds, enlisting media support to spread the word.
Within three months, people had responded to the massive media blitz, of which Wijeya Newspapers Ltd. including the Sunday Times was very much a part of and it was an emotional Mr. Mohamed and Apeksha Hospital Director Dr. M.Y.K. Wilfred who announced the collection of Rs. 252 million for the PET scan machine by the end of June.
With numerous allegations thereafter that the Health Ministry was dragging its feet in inviting bids for the supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the PET scan machine, the Sunday Times checked out the processes this week.
A Health Ministry source was categorical that the tender for such a bid amounting to Rs. 250 million cannot be carried out in haste since once the machine arrives and there is some technical hiccup, there would be a different kind of uproar.
Here is the time-frame for procurement actions without pre-qualification, set out by the Procurement Guideline Reference for tenders between Rs. 250 million and Rs. 500 million.
2 weeks – Scrutinising bidding documents and approval by the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC)
1 week – Invitation for bid
6 weeks – Closing of bids
6 weeks – Evaluation by the TEC
2 weeks – Review of TEC recommendation by the Procurement Committee (PC)
2 weeks – Determination by PC
2 weeks – Appeal procedure
4 weeks – Approval of the Cabinet
1 week – Issue of letter of acceptance
2 weeks – Contract agreement signature
The Sunday Times learns that as it is a new machine, the TEC grappled with lots of technical specifications. The first document prepared by the TEC needed major amendments, as instructed by the PC and had to be re-done, while the PC also wanted the specifications to be submitted to the College of Radiologists.
Once the bidding is closed, usually the TEC evaluation of the papers takes six weeks, but moves are underway to quicken the process, sources said, adding that the PC is keen to give a decision on the tender in a shorter period, in view of the need of the Apeksha Hospital.
A Health Ministry source also explained that it is difficult to convene meetings of both the TEC and the PC due to the busy schedules of the members. The TEC is chaired by the Health Ministry’s Deputy Director-General of Public Health Dr. Sarath Amunugama and comprises Apeksha Hospital’s Director Dr. M.Y.K. Wilfred, Consultant Radiologists Dr. W.P.M. Dheerasekera & Dr. P.A.S.P. Perera and Radiographer Asoka Ekanayake; Bio-medical Engineer P.A.W. Kumarage and National Budget Department Director Biyanka Gamage. The Convener of the TEC is the Health Ministry’s Additional Secretary Y.L.M. Navavi.
The PC, meanwhile, is chaired by Justice Ministry Secretary Padmasiri Jayamanne and includes representatives from the Health Ministry, the Treasury, the Housing and Construction Ministry and the National Institute for Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation.
“The ‘specs’ are critical, for if there is a deviation, the machine won’t work and the TEC will be in trouble,” the sources said, adding that the 77-page bidding document has to be scrutinised carefully, with each TEC member signing each page.
A PET scan is an imaging test that helps reveal how tissues and organs within a person’s body are functioning. It uses a radioactive drug (tracer), which may be injected, swallowed or inhaled, depending on what organ or tissue is being studied to show this activity, a web search found.
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http://www.sundaytimes.lk/161009/ne...-award-gets-january-2017-deadline-211856.html
මහේල වැඩේට එකතු උන හින්දා තමයි ඔච්චර ගානක් හොයන්ඩ පුළුවන් වෙලා තියෙන්නේ.කරපු වැඩේ අගය කරන්ඩ ඕනේ කුහක වෙනඩ හොඳ නෑ...
