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Bobby Ramroop blows whistle to defend his $1.3B pact
As Health Ministry awards $$M contract to unqualified supplier
New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation (NGPC) owned by Queen’s Atlantic Investment Inc (QAII) and headed by Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby “Ramroop has taken umbrage over the recent spate of criticisms on a $1.3B contract it received.
Dr. Ramroop is insisting that his company was prequalified by the Ministry of Health to supply drugs ever since 2010. He further
The QAII Boss, Dr. Bobby Ramroop inspects a piece of his machinery
argued that another local company which has lodged complaints has also been a beneficiary despite failing to pre-qualify.
The NGPC statement to the media yesterday said that, “Apart from NGPC, Health International Inc (HII) and one international supplier, only two other local companies expressed interest, that is, Medpharm Co. and International Pharmaceutical Agency (IPA).”
“To NGPC’s knowledge and in keeping with the AG’s recommendations, the (Ministry of Health) has ever since been operating within this mandate.”
The outfit run by Dr. Ramroop in its response to the criticisms of the $1.3B Contract awarded to his company, said that “despite the fact that IPA failed to prequalify, this company has been the beneficiary of contracts from the MOH for the supply of pharmaceuticals, medical supplies and equipment to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars every year.”
QAII is now contending that “it should also be noted that NGPC had to intervene to avert a national crisis when IPA failed to supply anti retroviral drugs (ARVs) for which they had been awarded.”
The company’s statement said that reports in the media the past week suggest that NGPC is being given preferential treatment by the Government of Guyana and claimed that this is far from the truth.
“The general public must be informed that it is the MOH and the Government and people of Guyana who derive a number of benefits by purchasing from NGPC.”
Dr. Ramroop’s company states that the Government and people of Guyana benefit from in excess of $400M per year from purchases made from NGPC.
“A large part of this comes in the form of savings derived by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and the various taxes the company pays. NGPC also contributes to various social causes.”
Dr. Ramroop’s company in defending itself as a recipient of the $1.3B contract, contends that, “Only Medpharm Co. and NGPC were duly certified and approved to join a list of established international organizations including PAHO, IDA, WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA and UNDP to supply pharmaceuticals and medical supplies to the Government of Guyana.”
Additionally, the company claims that at least one benefit for Guyana by using the services of NGPC is “Internationally competitive prices….NGPC does not utilize the 10 per cent preference in the legislation for local companies.”
The company also boasts credit and flexible payment terms to all state agencies and charges further that “on many occasions pharmaceuticals and medical supplies are supplied long before a single cent is received…This is true even for internationally and publicly tendered supplies such as the anti-retrovirals.”
The company claims that it also provides free storage in temperature regulated conditions at various locations and argues that, “This alone saves the MOH/GPHC millions of dollars per year.”
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