New Delhi The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) blacklisted Tirupati Medilines Pvt Ltd in August 2026, but the company was subsequently awarded a tender worth nearly ₹2 crore for the supply of surgical gloves to Safdarjung Hospital. AIIMS had taken action against the company over alleged quality issues involving syringes supplied to the institute. The fact that the same company later secured a medical gloves supply contract at Safdarjung Hospital, located around 500 metres from AIIMS, has raised questions about procurement procedures and monitoring mechanisms at the two institutions.
Sources said questions have also been raised over the role of a pharmacist, Himanshu Pal, associated with the procurement process at Safdarjung Hospital. A pharmacist associated with the hospital, speaking on condition of anonymity, said companies participating in government tenders are generally required to submit a “non-blacklisting declaration”. Under such a declaration, a bidder states that it has not been blacklisted by any government institution. Providing incorrect information can attract action under applicable rules and may also lead to disqualification or a ban for a specified period.
AIIMS had taken action against Tirupati Medilines in August 2026. During an examination of syringes supplied by the company, several serious quality-related deficiencies were allegedly reported. Complaints during the inspection included broken needles, traces of blood on needle hubs, cracks in plungers and the presence of fungus in some syringes. Some syringes were also reportedly found with needles displaced from their designated position. Given the patient-safety implications of such alleged deficiencies, AIIMS proceeded with blacklisting action against the company.
The company had also faced allegations in 2024 in connection with an alleged scam linked to the Delhi government. The Anti-Corruption Branch had registered a case and initiated an investigation in that matter. Against this backdrop, the award of a nearly ₹2 crore supply contract to the same company at Safdarjung Hospital has prompted questions about transparency in the procurement process and compliance with eligibility requirements.
Some pharmacists associated with the hospital said AIIMS blacklisting orders sometimes contain provisions with wider implications for procurement. They argued that AIIMS is one of the country’s leading medical institutions and that when serious quality deficiencies affecting patient safety are found in products supplied by a company, such action should be taken into consideration while assessing the company’s eligibility for procurement at other central government hospitals.
Safdarjung Hospital, however, has maintained that a blacklisting order imposed by another institution does not automatically disqualify a company from participating in its procurement process. The hospital’s PRO, Sakshi Chugh, said the surgical gloves procurement process was conducted through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal. According to the hospital, the company participated in the tender in accordance with the prescribed terms and conditions, while its bid was evaluated on the basis of the technical and commercial eligibility criteria specified on the GeM platform.
She said that after the supply commenced, the gloves were examined for quality by an inspection committee as part of the prescribed procedure. The hospital said that, so far, no complaints regarding the quality of the gloves had been received from the user departments concerned. The hospital reiterated that a blacklisting order issued by another institution does not, by itself, constitute grounds for automatic disqualification from its procurement process.
The company was contacted for its response to the matter, but no response was received. The issue has now raised questions over the basis on which the company’s eligibility was assessed during Safdarjung Hospital’s procurement process despite the earlier AIIMS action, and at what level the non-blacklisting declaration submitted by the bidder was verified.
