AIIMS bars two suppliers after complaints over equipment quality

All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi has barred two medical suppliers from participating in its tenders for two years following repeated complaints from hospital departments over the quality of disposable syringes and suction sets, including reports of insects inside syringes, blood-stained needle hubs and fungal contamination

All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi has barred two medical suppliers from participating in its tenders for two years following repeated complaints from hospital departments over the quality of disposable syringes and suction sets, including reports of insects inside syringes, blood-stained needle hubs and fungal contamination.

AIIMS said the debarment was necessary ‘to protect patient care services and uphold integrity of public procurement’ (HT)

The action against Tirupati Medicines Pvt Ltd and Tarini Medicare Inc comes weeks after the Union health ministry informed Parliament August 4that certain batches of disposable syringes supplied to AIIMS Delhi had been recalled this year following quality-related complaints.

Officials from Tirupati Medicines Pvt Ltd and Tarini Medicare Inc did not respond to HT’s requests for comments till the time of this this edition going to print.

In an order dated August 13, accessed by HT, AIIMS barred Tirupati Medicines from participating in tenders for disposable 5ml syringes with needles and equivalent items for two years. The order said multiple hospital departments had complained about the quality of syringes supplied by the company.

The first complaint was received on March 3, 2025, following which the supplier was asked to replace the stock within 48 hours. However, further complaints were received about defects including “insects inside syringes”, broken needles, blood-stained needle hubs, fungal contamination, needle dislocation, internal breakage and cracked plungers causing leakage.

AIIMS said the debarment was necessary “to protect patient care services and uphold integrity of public procurement”. Tirupati Medicines did not respond to requests for comment.

In a separate order, AIIMS barred Tarini Medicare over complaints concerning the quality of Yankauer suction sets. Complaints were first received in September and October 2024, followed by another complaint on December 27.

The institute said departments had reported poor suction performance and material-quality issues. The supplier was directed in January 2025 to coordinate with departments and replace defective stock within five days. A final warning was issued in February, giving it 48 hours to replace the material and warning of possible cancellation of the contract and debarment. Another complaint was received on March 10, 2025, concerning a different batch, following which AIIMS issued a show-cause notice.

A further complaint from the paediatric surgery department concerned “faulty/collapsible tubing causing suction failure during surgery, especially during active bleeding”. AIIMS said the tubing collapsed under negative pressure, interrupting suction during surgical procedures.

Such a failure, the institute said, could “severely compromise surgical field visibility, delay critical intervention, and pose direct risk to patient safety”.

The latest action follows concerns over repeated recalls of disposable syringe batches at AIIMS. On August 4, Union minister of state for health Prataprao Jadhav told the Rajya Sabha that affected batches manufactured by Noble Pharmacare Ltd and Veekay Surgicals had been recalled as a precautionary patient-safety measure following quality complaints.

In June, Rajya Sabha member Haris Beeran had also urged the health ministry to investigate the recalls and their implications for patient safety.