Officials deny Public Health Ministry renting another storage bond

Feb 10, 2019 News

The Public Health Ministry (MOPH)] is refuting allegations on a Social Media platform that it is renting a city bond at G$12.5 Million per month to store pharmaceuticals.
According to the Social Media post seen by MOPH officials, the Ministry surreptitiously entered into a pact with Linden Holdings Inc. and an internal memo “addressed to the Permanent Secretary (Ms Collette Adams) and other senior functionaries, sought approval for the payment of 12.5 Million dollars representing rent for January 2019.”
“This is patently false. We haven’t rented any other bond…we haven’t entered into any other contract,” Adams assured. It is alleged that the bond is located in South Cummingsburg.
Other senior MOPH officials also rubbished the content of the social media article.
Mr Glendon Fogenay, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Finance); Ms Shellon Bess, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Administration); Mr Oneil

Ms Collette Adams, MOPH Permanent Secretary.

Atkins, Director of Pharmacy, and Ms Malkia Idal, Principal Assistant Secretary (Finance) all denied knowledge of such a deal.
The missive purporting to have inside information from the MOPH, claimed that certain portions were redacted except “their bank account information.”
In dispelling allegation, the Public Health Ministry, in a statement, said it once rented a bond in Sussex Street, Georgetown, for a three-year period from Linden Holdings Inc. but scrapped the arrangement late last year after expanding its capacity to store medical items.

The MOPH is currently building its own bond in Kingston, in the capital, and is expanding its bond at Diamond, on the East Bank corridor to store its drugs, pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, Public Health Minister, Mrs Volda Lawrence, told the media repeatedly since she took over the reins of the sector from her predecessor, Dr. George Norton, in January, 2017.
The MOPH was housing a CT scanner for the Bartica Hospital and this prolonged the rental of the Sussex Street bond.
The scanner was shipped to Bartica, Cuyuni/Mazaruni (Region Seven) more than two months ago and technicians from the firm Meditron are currently “hooking it up” for use by the hospital, Regional Health Officer (RHO), Dr. Edward Segala, confirmed.
“I am on record as saying that as of the 31st December 2018, the Ministry of Public Health will not be renting any more bonds,” Minister Lawrence reminded the local media last year.

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