Minister Lawrence is wrong about procurement department prior to 2015

Dear Editor,
On December 5, a section of the media quoted Minister Lawrence as saying there was no procurement department at the Ministry of Public Health prior to 2015. I can categorically say that Min Lawrence was not being truthful and it lends itself to a recent trend of reckless and irresponsible statements by this Minister.
According to former Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, the procurement department began to take shape since 1997 and evolved from there to a fully functional Materials Management Unit (MMU) consisting of planning & procurement, warehousing & distribution, quality control and a transportation mechanism that partnered with regional authorities and other stakeholders, including the military.
Minister Lawrence stated that her goal now, was to achieve 70 to 75 per cent availability of medicines in the future, but from 2008 to 2012 we were making 85 per cent non-essential medicines and 100 per cent life-saving medicines available to all 10 regions of the country. This is a metric that was corroborated by our external partners at that time. Therefore, it is only fair to conclude that Min Lawrence is slinging political propaganda and slander to make her Government appear competent.
Prior to 2015, the procurement department was fully functional with a Procurement Manager and five supervisors with direct support from our planning department, finance and the National Procurement and Tender Board (NPTAB) guided fully by the Procurement Act and other policies.
In 2010, we successfully rolled out the first national and regional public pre-qualification system to select qualified suppliers of medicines and supplies, a feat that could not been achieved without a procurement department. The late Hon Winston Murray praised the procurement department for that achievement in his capacity as a member of the Public Accounts Committee.
It is important to note that Min Lawrence was the head of the PAC during most of this time and she was briefed on all our accomplishments as a procurement department, therefore it is very surprising to see her making such reckless statements.
It is time this Government understands that they are public servants and not overlords that serve only a part of the country. They have a legal and moral obligation to be transparent to the people.

Sincerely,
Malcolm Watkins,
MS OL
Former Procurement
Manager – MOPH
& Supply Chain
Professional