Materials management in the Health and Family Welfare Department in Tripura was found to have been deficient. Procurement of medicines was not based on realistic assessment as requirement of medicines submitted by different health institutions was not supported by basic data. The system of health care in different health institutions in the State suffered due to delayed and reduced supply of medicines, supply of substandard medicines, and idling of machinery and equipment. Reasons for these deficiencies were attributable to lack of adequate planning and monitoring. Following are the main audit findings of this performance review:

1. Penalty of Rs. 18.34 lakh for delay in supplying medicines was not imposed on the suppliers.
2. Expenditure of Rs. 6.71 lakh incurred on purchase of mixture ingredients became unfruitful, as no mixture could be prepared by using these ingredients according to the formulation prescribed in the Pharmacopoeia.
3. Sub-standard medicines valued at Rs. 10.44 lakh purchased during 1999-03 were issued to the patients before receipt of drug testing reports.
4. Machinery and equipment worth Rs. 39.17 lakh were irregularly transferred to a society viz, Tripura Super Speciality Hospital Society.
5. Eighteen items of machinery and equipment purchased during 1996 to 2002 at a cost of Rs. 86.24 lakh remained non-functional (as of June 2004).