NEW DELHI: HLL Lifecare, the public sector company that acts as the government’s central procurement agency for personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers is charging mark-ups of up to 50% on components of the protective gear it is providing to government hospitals. With HLL having floated tenders for 10 lakh coveralls and 40 lakh N95 masks recently, that would amount to almost Rs 22 crore as mark-up on coveralls alone and Rs 8 crore on N-95 masks.
Sources in HLL said that the mark-up was to account for transportation costs, which was high especially in the period of lockdown when it was difficult to find truckers willing to transport the kits. HLL’s letters to institutions states that the rate includes cost of road transport of the items.
I