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GPHC ordered to dispose of $millions in expired drugs, medical supplies
Drugs and medical supplies costing more than $29 million were found to be expired at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC’)s Pharmacy Bond. This is according to the Auditor General’s Report for the Fiscal year 
ended December 2015.
According to the Report, the expired items amounted to 515 types of drugs and medical supplies of various quantities and worth $29.040 million. Also, there were several additional expired drugs of various quantities in boxes that were slated to be verified, according to the Report.
However, according to the Report, “Staff at the Pharmacy Bond was reluctant to verify and peruse same.”
It was discovered that there was no system in place to monitor drugs with a short shelf life. It was, however, pointed out too that five types of drugs consisting of various quantities which expired on August 31, 2016 were verified. The Report went on to outline the reluctance of Pharmacy Bond staff to identify more of the short shelf life drugs.
This publication was unable to ascertain whether the expired drugs are still contained in the Pharmacy Bond. This is based on the fact that the GPHC in its response to the findings of the Auditor General, which was detailed in the Report, assured that the Pharmacy Manager is working to dispose of the expired drugs and medical supplies very shortly.
The hospital in its response to the findings proposed that the situation could be remedied by implementing a computerised system in the last quarter of this year to help effectively monitor the situation.
But the Pharmacy Bond was not the only area of the hospital that the Auditor General found expired drugs and medical supplies. It was revealed that in the Central Stores there were 198 types of drugs and medical supplies consisting of various quantities that have expired. Of these, only 34 types of drugs and medical supplies totalling $480,590 could have been valued.
But according to the Report, “the calculation of the value of the remainder of the drugs and medical supplies is currently ongoing.”
Overall shortages were identified in 37 percent of the instances examined, while overage was 39 percent. However, it was noted that “the respective values of the shortages and excesses could not be ascertained.”
According to the Report, the Head of Budget Agency of the hospital explained that the Central Stores is also working to dispose of the expired drugs and medical supplies shortly. Again it was noted that the Corporation is working towards the improvement of its operations with the implementation of a computerised inventory management system.
The Auditor General has recommended that the Corporation, “(a) take appropriate measures to enable disposal of expired drugs and (b) ensures that its records are updated in a timely manner and periodic reconciliations are done between the records and actual items on hand.”
But there were even more expired items at yet another bond utilised by the GPHC.
According to the Report, at the New GPC Ruimveldt Bond there were 45 types of drugs and medical supplies consisting of various quantities valued at $12.586 million that were expired and three types consisting of quantities of 32,080 units which expired on August 31, 2016.
It was found that “the offsite bond has no formal means of communication to update, check or keep staff informed of the day to day changes.”
The GPHC has, moreover, related that the Pharmacy Manager is working to dispose of the expired drugs and medical supplies very shortly. He is examining the possibility of establishing a telephone line for staff within that Bond as recommended by the Audit Office.
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