Govt owes Borneo millions

THE Government owes a local pharmaceutical firm millions of kina due to slow processing of reports, its chairman said yesterday.
Borneo Pacific Pharmaceutical Ltd (BPPL) chairman Sir Martin Poh said the company would continue to supply medicines to the country after being awarded two contracts last month.
The first handover of supplies this term will happen next week, he said. Sir Martin said the Government owed the millions since 2017 but he was reluctant to reveal the amount.
He clarified that the issue of medicine shortage was not the responsibility of Borneo Pacific.
“The reason for the outstanding (debt) when we deliver the goods to all area medical stores, the provincial area medical stores need to give a receiving reports to the headquarters to give to us to claim for payment.
“We attach the receiving report to the invoice and submit,” Sir Martin said.
“The reason for 2017-2018 was because receiving report was not issued by the area medical store.
“We get excuses that we need to open the container, no space to put our goods. This is unacceptable.
“Normally, once you receive the goods in one or two weeks you receive the report but this has not happened in the medical supply area,” Sir Martin said.
“Prime minister promised that he will look into this matter. Government must improve this system.
“We need receiving reports, we need payment because we suffer.
“We pay about K200,000 per month for the overdraft that we use because of non-payment.”