PPP goes through Parliament for details on drug procurement

May 05, 2017 News

By Abena Rockcliffe-Campbell
The People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Opposition is “seriously” concerned about public

PPP/C MP, Juan Edghill

procurement in the health sector, Member of Parliament (MP), Juan Edghill said recently.
“We are very concerned about procurement in the health sector. In fact we are concerned about public procurement in all sectors. It is something that we were flagged for and beaten up on even by Kaieteur News,” said Edghill.
Such concern has forced Edghill to seek information from Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, in the National Assembly. Edghill has put forward four questions for written replies.
Edghill told Kaieteur News that “the $605M procurement by the GPHC which the Minister of Public Health engineered has caused concern. That is the reason we have gone to find out details of what is really taking place with procurement as it relates to the heath sector.”
Edghill noted that the PPP/C learnt, through the Public Accounts Committee, that money voted for the health Budget of the 10 Administrative Regions were not expended and that led to significant shortages of drugs at the various health facilities “even though the government was denying the shortage.”
The first question appearing on the National Assembly’s order paper is to be answered in writing by the Minister of Communities. That question is titled “Procurement of drugs and medical supplies from the 10 regional health budgets.”
Under that heading, Edghill wants to know, among other things, “what percentage of the total budgeted regional health allocations was expended on purchases of drugs and medical supplies for each of the 10 Administrative Regions (in disaggregated manner) between January 1, 2016 and February 28, 2017?”
Edghill also wants to know the name of each supplier, the value of each contract and date of award.
Further, he is seeking information about the name of the supplier/s who may have failed to deliver within the stipulated contractual period and by what amount as well as the name of the supplier/s which may have delivered inferior/substandard drugs and medical supplies.
Edghill is inquiring whether the tenders for the procurement of drugs and medical supplies were publicly advertised and, if so, when and where as well as whether these awardees were pre-qualified.

Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence

The second question in Edghill’s name is directed to Minister Lawrence. It is titled, “Delivery of drugs and medical supplies for the public system.”
Under this heading, Edghill is seeking to find out the number and names of any contracted suppliers which may have delivered expired drugs and medical supplies or supplies that were close to the expiry date and/or, of an inferior quality, between January 1, 2016 and February 28, 2017.
Further, among other things, Edghill wants the Minister to provide the specific drug, and, or medical supply, and the dollar value in each case which was procured and found to be expired, and or, of inferior quality.
“Could the Hon. Minister state if she has information that any employee/s of the Ministry of Public Health, and, in particular the Materials Management Unit, and/or the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, has/have been complicit with contractors/suppliers of pharmaceutical and medical supplies in defrauding the State” is another question put forward by Edghill.
The Member is asking, “If so, state what actions have been taken to investigate these allegations” and “State whether the Office of the Auditor General and/or the Guyana Police Force has been called in to investigate these allegations”.
Other questions were submitted under the heading, “Procurement of drugs and medical supplies for the ministry of public health.” These were also directed to Lawrence.
Edghill wants Lawrence to inform this National Assembly what was the total sum expanded for drugs and medical supplies for the Ministry of Public Health between January 1, 2016 and February 28, 2017.
Finally, he asked, “What percentage of the 2016 budgetary allocations for drugs and medical supplies was expended by December 31, 2016? If any monies were returned to the Consolidated Fund, how much and what were the reasons for the underperformance in the procurement of drugs and medical supplies for the public health system?”

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