It highlighted a shortage of doctors and medical staff — according to the audit report, as of March 2022, the Directorate of Health Services has 34.62 percent unfilled posts when it comes to doctors, including specialists. This percentage worsens in Naxal affected districts like Bijapur (68.18 percent), Sukma (58.67 percent), Kondagaon (60.66 percent), and is over 50 percent in nine districts.

The report flagged that there were instances of non-availability of 103 essential drugs at seven district hospitals in March 2022. And, during the pandemic, Rs 23.13 crore of items were purchased without recommendation of the Covid committee.

It also points to alleged irregularities in the state’s drug procurement, saying that despite having the Chhattisgarh State Medical Services Corporation Limited (CGMSCL) as the nodal agency for procurement and supply of drugs, medicine and equipment, there was 26-50 percent “decentralised procurement”.

It also claims that a delay in completing the tender process led to the local purchase of untested drugs to the tune of Rs 97.93 crore.

“Further, CGMSCL failed to prepare a purchase manual in consonance with Chhattisgarh Stores Purchase Rules (CGSPR) due to which in many cases purchases were made in violation of CGSPR,” the performance audit report states, pointing to issues such as wasteful purchase of equipment, purchasing drugs from blacklisted firms and a faulty inventory management system that allegedly led to Rs 33.63 crore worth of drugs going to waste.

The state had a BJP government from 2013-2018 and a Congress government from 2018-2023. Chhattisgarh Health Minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal said an inquiry had been initiated.

“The CAG report is till the year 2022, when the Congress was in power. The report talks about irregularities in procurement (of medicines, drugs), shortage of specialist doctors, paramedical stores. I agree with all this and want to say work recruiting doctors and paramedical staff has begun. We have already made a team initiate an inquiry,” he said.

Former health minister T S Singh Deo said there should be “no politics since the report was from 2016-2022”. “It’s public money, the government is answerable and accountability must be fixed,” he said.