Auditor General 2023 report: Special investigation launched after Health Ministry staff found with 5 boxes of anaesthetic

…matter was referred to SOCU after special audit

The Auditor General (AG’s) 2023 report has disclosed that a staffer from the Health Ministry had five boxes of lidocaine, a local anaesthetic commonly used by dentists, in their possession, prompting a special investigation to be launched.
According to the AG report, the discovery of the staffer in possession of the drugs was made during a security check at the Ministry’s Materials Management Unit (MMU), which handles the large quantities of drugs procured by the Ministry for hospitals and clinics.
As a result of the find, the report states that the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Malcolm Watkins, requested a special audit into the unit back in August 2022. The AG duly obliged.
“The audit was conducted by the Audit Office and an interim report dated September 16, 2022, was issued to the Head of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU). At the time of this report, the special investigation was ongoing,” AG Deodat Sharma stated in his report.
Meanwhile, the report carried a response from the Health Ministry, which indicated that the Ministry’s MMU is cooperating with the investigation. The audit office meanwhile recommended that once the investigation is concluded, the Ministry should provide the Audit Office with an update.
Lidocaine is a local anaesthetic that works by blocking the signals at the nerve endings in the skin. Unlike general anaesthetics when used in surgery, this medicine does not cause loss of consciousness in patients.
The MMU serves as the central storage bond of the Health Ministry, but was wracked by claims of mismanagement under the former A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government.
Shortly after the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government assumed office, hundreds of truckloads of expired medication had to be dumped from the MMU – due to poor management under the former APNU/AFC Coalition.
In fact, Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony had said the administration inherited a “crisis” in relation to the quantity of expired medication being stored at MMU. From 2015 to 2021, the Health Ministry had to dump over $10 billion worth of expired drugs and materials.
At one point under the former APNU/AFC Government, there were hospitals that had an availability rate for drugs and medical supplies of less than 35 per cent. This has since been dramatically improved under the current Government. (G3)