JALALABAD (Pajhwok): The contract for purchasing coffins for deceased dying of Covid-19 infection has been signed with a company against a doubled price compared to the rates of other bidding companies in eastern Nangarhar province, documents obtained by Pajhwok Afghan News show.
The normal price of a coffin in the market ranges from 1,600 to 2,200 afghanis but its price, based on the contract with a company in Nangarhar province, is 4,000 afghanis. Documents show that three companies took part in bidding for the contract but it was awarded to a fourth company following a special order from former Nangarhar governor, Shah Mahmod Miakhel. The company which received the contract did not take part in the bidding and already had two contracts with the public health director.
For treatment of Covid-19 disease, the Covid-19 Treatment Center in Nangarhar has proposed procurement of 10 types of medicines to the provincial public health department. Besides the medicine, the proposal also requested 200 coffinsfrom the department.
Three companies offered different prices for the contract and the highest was 7.158 million afghanis, but two days after from the bidding, Omar Subhan Company director has asked former Nangarhar governor, Shah Mahmod Miakhel, to award the contract to his company as they already had two health contracts in the province. This company offered 7.334 million afghanis — 176,000 afghanis higher than the offers of other companies — and a confine was priced at 4,000 afghanis.
Based on rules, the contract should have been signed with Yaser Jawad Company which took part in the bidding and offered the lowest price of 7.05 million afghanis, but it was instead signed with Omar Subhan Company. Former Nangarhar governor, Shah Mahmod Miakhel, in response to the request of Omar Subhan Company, in a letter, directed the Public Health Department and the Revenue Office to sign the contract with the same company (Omar Subhan Company).
Pajhwok Afghan News checked the prices of coffins in different parts of Jalalabad, capital of Nangarhar province, and found that one coffin was sold for 2,200 afghanis during Covid-19’s first wave and now. A coffin seller in Jalalabad city, who wished to go unnamed, said that coffins were sold from 1,600 afghanis up to 2,200 afghanis during the first wave of Covid-19.
“A coffin for Covid-19 deaths containing plastic, cotton and other required materials is sold for 2,200 afghanis, their prices are now also from 1,600 afghanis up to 2,000 afghanis,” he said.
Nangarhar public health director, Dr. Nasir Ahmad Durani, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the reason behind high coffin prices was its special design and structure due to high death rate of Covid-19 patients. “There is a little difference, cotton, gas, plaster, emergency bag for tying the coffin, plastic and other materials, the wood of coffins also varies based on their types and order,” he said.
Durani did not provide information about the number of coffins purchased, but said the proposal suggested supply of 200 coffins. Shah Mahmod Miakhel said they might have signed the letter approving the contract based on procurement law, but it did not mean it was based on his direct order. Based on the provincial public health department, 2,435 people are infected by Covid-19 while 152 others have died from the virus as of today, January 28, in Nangarhar.
