Drug contracts probed

By MIRIAM ZARRIGA
INVESTIGATIONS into alleged fraudulent procurement of medicines and other Health Department allegations have been started by a special investigation team (SIT) led by Det Chief Insp Joel Simatab.
Det Simatab confirmed that his team would be looking into four key areas of the procurements.
He said the team included detectives and forensic auditors and they started to work on recommendations given to them.
“The team will be looking into the tender of contracts, procurement, delivery of medical drugs and the lack of consultation between service providers and the provincial health authorities (PHA),’’ Det Simatab said.
He said the view of the Public Accounts Committee was the issue of a break-down in the delivery of pharmaceutical drugs to hospitals, health centres and aid posts.
“The public critics, then led to official complaints laid by the secretary for health to the Commissioner of Police David Manning.”
It is understood the same issues were raised with the office of the chief secretary to the Government that instigated the engagement of an international auditing firm, FTI consultants, who carried out audit checks.
The audit report has been finalised and delivered to Manning.
Det Simatab said from the recommendations of the report from FTI consultants, an investigation was sanctioned.
“Manning, having perused the referral, was satisfied that there were important issues relating to tender of contracts, procurement, delivery of medical drugs and the lack of consultation between service providers and PHA that greatly affected our people’s access to medical services,” Det Simatab said.
“He has directed that actions of officials that amount to criminal behaviour would be dealt with once investigations are complete.”
Last year, the then-minister of health Jelta Wong had announced in parliament that he had written a letter to Manning to start a fraud investigation after the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) conducted hearings into the State of affairs in relation to the Health Department.
Wong had promised then that the Health Department procurement companies named in PAC inquiries would be investigated to substantiate their claims of paying bribes to departmental officers to fast-track payments for services provided.
It was during one of those hearings where senior managers of the Health Department were implicated in serious misconducts into the delivery of medical supplies that raised public debate and outcry.