Mexico’s Social Security Institute ( IMSS ) rejected 20 ventilators it previously purchased from Cyber Robotics Solutions , a company owned by León Bartlett, the son of CFE director Manuel Bartlett.
Through a statement, the IMSS said that after experts analyzed the ventilators , they “determined that they don’t fulfill the requirements and technical-functional characteristics agreed in the contract.”
According to the IMSS, the institution issued an official report to return the equipment to Cyber Robotics Solutions; the equipment has been already returned to the company.
The institute added that it didn’t pay for the ventilators .
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Furthermore, Hidalgo authorities found that these ventilators didn’t have a touch screen, a characteristic that was established in the contract.
On April 17, Cyber Robotics Solutions , owned by León Manuel Bartlett Álvarez , obtained a contract for MXN 31 million to provide 20 ventilators for the IMSS. The contract was awarded to the company without a tender and each ventilator was sold at MXN 1,550,000.
After much criticism, the IMSS director, Zoé Robledo , justified the purchase and said several factors played an important role to close the business deal: Cyber Robotics Solutions didn’t request a down payment and it would quickly provide the equipment necessary to treat patients infected with COVID-19 .
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