Aher said that during surprise visits to hospitals, particularly in the rural areas, he had found the bandage cloth, gauze cloth and cotton to be of ``very poor quality''. ``When the actual specifications were checked, it was found that the supplies were not up to the mark,'' he said.

Aher then had samples collected from five government-run hospitals. An examination of the material revealed that the weight per square cm was less, the warp and weft not as per the specifications and the absorbing capacity ``very poor''.

Following a statewide inspection of surgical supplies conducted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it was found that the material supplied by Vandana Handlooms, Brij Textiles, Bhagyashri Surgicals, C K Gauze Bandage, Kamal Handlooms, Jay Balaji Enterprises, PrinceSurgicals, Sewagram Surgicals, Standard Surgical Dressings, Anamita Udyog, Arun Products and Gwalior Surgicals was not up to the mark.

A senior FDA official said Aher had directed the Health department to stop payment to these companies with immediate effect and discontinue the supply of the material. ``The minister has also asked the department to recover the payment made to these companies,'' the official said.

The Rate Contract Committee will decide whether these companies should be blacklisted, he added.

The official said in view of the series of irregularities committed by suppliers, it was necessary to strengthen the FDA's laboratory network.Insufficient capacity meant that the samples could not be checked before delivery. ``We should develop a system which will enable random sampling of material,'' the official added.