The companies’ violations caused extensive losses to Nasser Institute for Research and Treatment and the National Heart Institute, according to the competition authority
The Egyptian Competition Authority announced on Wednesday that it has referred seven major medical supply companies to the public prosecutor—claiming the companies had manipulated government tenders.
The authority added in a statement that these companies provide medical supplies, such as oxidizers and medical valves used in chest and heart surgery, to government and university hospitals.
The suspected companies include Temco Technology Company and Glyongi Medical Supplies, according to the statement.
The authority said that it had prepared a study that was conducted for about a year, proving that these companies have coordinated to offer identical prices in the tenders posed by government and university hospitals.
The companies aimed to force government hospitals to purchase their medical supplies from all the applying companies as long as they offered the same price, in accordance with the executive regulations of the tenders and auctions law. These companies wanted to control the medical supplies prices, limiting the hospitals’ chances to secure their needs of medical supplies at appropriate prices, according to the statement.
The study conducted by the authority focused on a period of two years, from 2013 to 2015.
The authority said that the companies’ violations caused extensive losses to Nasser Institute for Research and Treatment, and the National Heart Institute. These violations increased the medical supply prices, which reduced the amount of heart valves and oxidisers, according to the statement.
