By Crispina Lois Cummings
The Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee on Monday probed the ministry of health and sanitation on the basis of the 2011 auditor general’s report.
Deputy Auditor General, Tamba Momoh read out the areas where the ministry was found wanting in the audit. He said procurement procedures were not followed for goods and services tax amounting to Le 82 million including the absence of proforma invoices in respect of contracts for the installation of window curtains. He said the audit team made several unsuccessful requests for those receipts.
The audit report pointed out that withholding taxes totalling Le 12 million in respect of goods and services procured under the malaria control programme were not paid to NRA. It added that reconciliation of store records at the central medical stores was not carried out for the entire period under review and stock cards were not regularly updated even though they were available.
The deputy director of drugs at the central medical stores, Jack Lansana said they were concentrating on electronic data keeping which he said accounted for their non-use of the stock cards. He said he would henceforth produce an up-to-date record starting with the time the audit was carried out.
The report also revealed the lack of control over the distribution of free health care drugs. There were issues of vouchers in respect of the free health care drugs that were without authorization and the signature of dispatch officer and recipients.
A member of the committee, Suliaman Sesay, MP, noted that he had visited his constituency several times but found out there were no nurses present as they were always attending workshops.
But former chief medical officer, Dr. Kizito Daoh told the committee that the workshops were meant to capacitate and upgrade staff. He said the availability of nurses in the districts was a challenge.
Another observation in the report was that Premier Logistics was awarded a contract for the supply of dressing/dispensing syringes and needles costing US$ 645, 939. The bid required documents like pharmacy board license or registration, which Premier Logistics did not submit but was awarded the contract nevertheless ahead of People’s Enterprise which submitted the said document.
The head of procurement, Mohamed Kallon said the contract was awarded on the advice of a committee that was set up to look into the matter. He said based on that advice, the committee asked Mr. Kallon to submit all the names to members of the committee, who took the decision.
© Politico 20/08/13
