The administration of the health services in Guyana is currently in a mess. This has led to accusations of widespread corruption resulting in patients’ lives and health being placed in danger in the hospitals and health centres. No one seems to be in control, and this has opened the floodgates for any and every one to pose as a drug supplier, including sawmills and a computer store. To make matters worse, the Government staff are spending billions of dollars without any tendering or other restraints.
The administrative structures of the health services are fairly good and workable, but they are not being worked by those employed to do so. Many believe that the employees are allowed to do their own thing, and it is widely suspected that they are receiving kickbacks and bribes.
For example, Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence, who is a fairly new minister, in unfamiliar surroundings with unfamiliar employees, had to answer questions in Parliament. Based on her answers provided, it was clear that the staff misled her, since she had to depend on them for information and data. Since the information she was fed was incorrect, or even outrageous, it was the Minister who was embarrassed. For example, the Minister announced to Parliament that NEW GPC had supplied ‘nearly expired’ drugs to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). When the delivery notes and invoices were examined, it was found that there was no truth in this. It was clear that the Minister’s staff had supplied her with such erroneous information.
Just as embarrassing to the Minister was when she was informed that the NEW GPC did not deliver 1 million of pharmaceuticals ordered. There was no order of 1 million and the written evidence showed only 6 million ordered; and the NEW GPC supplied it. NEW GPC made it a point to mention that all orders of earlier years were 100 per cent supplied, so that they could not try to fool her that it was the earlier years they were referring to.
The Government has a tender procedure whereby orders must be tendered for and those tendering must be reputable suppliers with proper cold storage facilities, etc. This tendering procedure was established to protect Government and prevent public funds from being siphoned away. This tender procedure was generally ignored by the officers of the GPHC and the regions. And the drugs were bought from a number of individuals. Such drugs bought without tender amounted to nearly billion.
Government servants have almost always said that the reason for their spending such large sums, in almost all the budgets, is to procure emergency supplies. If it was indeed true that there was need for emergency supplies from the very beginning of the year, then it is clear that the Minister and her team have little idea of management. And this could be proved when one looks at the spending of the GPHC during the first eight weeks of the year; they had already spent a huge percentage of the year’s budget for drugs.
Before we move off from actual examples of misspending in the health sector, the cause celebre of the recent ANSA McAL deal must be mentioned. The health sector awarded Trinidadian-owned ANSA McAL a highly controversial deal of 5 million for drugs that reportedly could have been bought locally for less than half that sum (around 0 million); and all the drugs ordered could have been obtained immediately from local sources. In essence, Guyana found itself poorer by over 0 million. In Trinidad, no Guyanese could tender for or be awarded such a contract. And to make the situation even more ridiculous, the Minister said ANSA McAL gave the Hospital four refrigerators, which were long required and which presumably was a ‘sweetener’. Here again, this reflected the ineptitude of the hospital administration in not buying the necessary refrigerators when they were needed years ago.
There are many other examples of Government’s funds being fritted way or siphoned off in the health sector, and these are reason enough for the President to immediately instruct that a thorough inquiry be carried out. This can aid in efforts to free the sector of corrupt and inefficient employees, save the Public Health Minister from being further embarrassed, and members of the public dismissing the entire health sector as being the ‘hotbed’ of corruption.
This situation is providing the Opposition with a ‘field day’ as the health sector continues to shoot its Government in the foot and cause it to further lose what little credibility it has.
