LUCKNOW, June 9 -- Alleged irregularities have come to light in the medicine procurement network of King George's Medical University (KGMU), where a defunct government software has left 25 drug outlets handling over 11,500 products with no digital oversight. The irregularities relate to the functioning of the Hospital Revolving Fund (HRF), which oversees procurement and supply of medicines, implants and consumables across the university's hospitals. At the heart is the absence of a functional Hospital Information System (HIS), which should provide real-time digital monitoring of inventory movement, stock reconciliation and transaction tracking across the network. Recently, scrutiny of records allegedly revealed procurement of expensive medicines, including cancer drugs, protein supplements and iron supplements, in the names of nearly 40 patients who may be deceased or not on record. Medicine purchases in department allegedly touched nearly Rs 45 lakh last month alone, raising suspicion within the university administration. KGMU's existing digital framework, operating on the National Informatics Centre (NIC) platform, has reportedly become largely ineffective over time. With no functional HIS in place, the university's 25 HRF outlets, which process thousands of transactions and bills every day, continue to rely heavily on paper records, raising questions about potential gaps in oversight and accountability. Three more HRF outlets are expected to become functional within the next fortnight, further expanding network that already handles over 11,500 products daily. Defending the existing mechanism, HRF head Kumar Shantanu said all transactions are backed by proper documentation and approvals. "We only provide those medicines to the departments for which indent is raised by the competent authorities. We have each and every record and document," he said. According to officials familiar with the procurement process, KGMU floated tenders for nearly 11,500 products this year, attracting bids from around 650 companies. Procurement decisions are made through nearly 40 committees, comprising five to six subject experts each, who evaluate quality standards, technical specifications and pricing before finalising suppliers. The HRF system was introduced at KGMU in 2016 but witnessed substantial expansion after prof Soniya Nityanand took over as vice-chancellor in 2023. KGMU spokesperson prof KK Singh said, "The software provided by the government is not adequately supporting our system. Therefore, we are exploring other options. If required, we may outsource a software solution similar to the one being used at SGPGI."...