Tenders Board to decide on distributors of kits

By GYNNIE KERO
THE Central Supply and Tenders Board will this week award contracts to the companies identified to distribute medical kits to medical centres and aid posts around the country, an official says.
Acting tenders board chairman Dr Ken Ngangan, pictured, was responding to queries from The National yesterday on what firms had been picked what the values of the contracts were.
Ngangan, also the Finance secretary, said the board would be meeting this week to finalise the contracts.
Health and HIV/Aids Minister Sir Puka Temu said last week there should be different companies for each of the four regions.
Sir Puka said he would advise the CSTB to pick four or six contractors and give them the distribution responsibility “so different companies can play that role and not only one company distributing in the entire country”.
He said the distributors had to be national companies who would in turn provide employment for the people.
Sir Puka said: “When we give them contracts, they employ our own people, they create money in their pockets.
“That’s how the so-called SME policy filters down in the health sector through that system.”
The 2764 medical kits which arrived last week contained antimalarial supplies, antiseptics, bandages, needles and intravenous administration sets.
They are expected to reach aid posts and health centres by the end of the month.
There will be 771 kits delivered to health centres and 1993 to aid posts. Each aid post is expected to get nine boxes and a health centre 19 boxes.