Functional efficiency of health services is largely dependent upon the medical infrastructure available be it in the form of equipments, Hospitals, medicare or doctors. Stores management inclusive of equipments and medicines plays a vital role in providing modern facilities required for diagnosis as well as appropriate treatment. This performance audit of Store Management in Health and Family Welfare Department in Jharkhand revealed that:

1. Nearly 40 per cent medicines procured were purchased without assessment of actual requirement.
2. Medicines worth Rs 7.01 crore were purchased from private firms/ unauthorised agencies without inviting tenders/approval of purchase committee.
3. 18 out of 63 samples of medicines collected by Drug Inspectors were found to be substandard.
4. Equipments worth Rs 44.07 lakh were purchased without adhering norms. C.T. Scan machine was purchased by payment of extra cost of Rs 21.95 lakh. Equipments worth Rs 64.69 lakh were lying idle for want of repairs.