India, March 8 -- The Delhi government's Central Procurement Agency (CPA) - a body responsible for procuring medical equipment and supplies for government hospitals - has issued a notice directing hospitals to stop floating independent tenders, as this could lead to non-uniform pricing.

In the notice issued on February 1 and seen by HT, the CPA noted that several government hospitals were independently processing and finalising bids at their own level, in violation of explicit directions issued by the Delhi health minister, Pankaj Kumar Singh, of routing all tenders only through the CPA.

"It has come to the notice of the undersigned that various hospitals are independently floating, processing, and finalising bids at their own level, wh...