GCCI clarifies pre-qualification position

Jun 22, 2017 News

The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce [GCCI] made no request of Public Health Minister, Ms. Volda Lawrence, to scrap the pre-qualification system for drug suppliers.
GCCI in a statement issued yesterday made this clear even as it pointed out that it had instead “asked for an explanation as to why the current sole sourcing of drugs and medical supplies was being carried out by the Ministry of [Public] Health and the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.”
The article to which the GCCI referred was published in the Saturday June 17, 2017 edition of this newspaper and was headlined “Government to scrap pre-qualification of drug suppliers.”
According to the article, GCCI had informed that “Minister of Health, Volda Lawrence, has promised an end to the controversial system of prequalifying drug suppliers…”
But according to the GCCI, the forgoing line of the article has implied that entity is in support of an end to the Ministry of Health’s prequalification system for drug suppliers.
As such the GCCI has asked for a clarification of the paragraph which it claimed has suggested that the Commission requested of the Minister to end the pre-qualification system.
The article quoted GCCI President, Deodat Indar, as saying, “We had constructive discussions with her [Minister Lawrence] and we will have quarterly meetings to check on the progress on the items discussed.”
He said that public procurement practices for health care supplies were highlighted as a major concern of the GCCI and added “She explained that the system is being redesigned to accommodate everyone. She mentioned that things like prequalification of contractors in that sector will no longer be used and everyone will have a fair chance to bid for contracts on a clean slate.”
According to the GCCI, the Minister did indicate that the government is currently moving away from the pre-qualification system and is redesigning the system to accommodate everyone. It was also pointed out that the Chamber is aware that provisions are made for pre-qualification in the procurement act of 2003 and forms an integral part of the World Health Organisation’s quality assurance system.
It was noted in the statement, too, that most recently [this year], the Organisation for Eastern Caribbean States [OECS] that procures pharmaceuticals and medical devices for a combined population of over 600,000, has implemented a prequalification system.
Abandoning the system of pre-qualification, a global standard in the procurement of medicine is counter-intuitive to the advancement of patient safety in the public sector, GCCI outlined in its statement.

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