By Crispina Cummings
The public accounts committee in parliament yesterday engaged the ministry of health and sanitation in relation to queries made against them in damning the 2012 audit report.
Officials of the ministry were summoned by parliament to answer to questions of several withdrawals made without supporting documents.
The auditors observed that after verifications of available supporting documents for withdrawals in respect of the directorate of primary health, the miscellaneous accounts amounting to over Le 161 million were still not provided for inspection.
Reading from the audit report, Tamba Momoh from the audit service commission said: “Payments without adequate supporting documents such as invitation letters and ‘back-to-office’ reports were not provided for the utilisation of over Le86 million in respect of overseas travelling."
The report continues: “Distribution of phone cards without recipients’ signatures amounted to Le16 million and no procurement procedures were followed for Meningococcal vaccines worth Le 990 million. Salaries paid to staff that have attained the retirement age summed up to over Le65 million without evidence."
Responding to the issues raised, the former director for the primary health care, Dr. Alhassan Sesay, said it was Dr. Ansumana Sillah who ran the workshop for which the money was to have been used. He expressed surprise at knowing that documents were not given to the auditors.
The deputy chairman of the committee, who chaired the session, asked that the officials responsible should start thinking of how the money should be paid back to the accounts.
Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Baba Fortune and principal accountant Sorie Kamara said that they brought with them documents to verify how monies were spent.
Momoh said that as far as the audit service was concerned, and it’s the view of the auditor general Mrs Taylor Perce, they would not accept any newly emerged documents. He said the documents were not present in 2012 when the audit was done and also in 2013 but had surfaced only now. He said they did not have the time to go back to the ministry for any more verification as it had been done twice.
The audit reports says that Connaught Hospital were to answer to issues of 23 receipt books not submitted by revenue collectors, amounting to Le45, 250, 000. Cash book not properly maintained, entries in the cashbook were made in pencil.
Expenditure without the relevant documentation, withholding taxes not deducted and paid to the NRA, documents not presented for audit inspection, drugs procured for the hospital but not put in use, reagents and other instruments not supplied to the laboratory, contracts awarded not completed, unverified staff members and incomplete attendance register, poor environmental and sanitary facility in the hospital.
Princess Christian Maternity Hospital is said to have issues of poor condition of the store, congested labour ward and poor waste management.
Speaking for PCMH senior medical superintendent, Dr Alimamy Koroma said the hospital was now working on their pending issues and invited the service to see the changes they had made.
(C) Politico 27/02/14
