Ministerial Committee appointed to investigate storage of gov’t’s medical supplies

Cabinet at its meeting on Tuesday, August 9, decided to establish a special ministerial team to examine a range of issues surrounding storage of government’s medicine and medical supplies.

Cabinet was briefed by Minister of Public Health Dr George Norton on the matters raised in the Committee of Supply of the National Assembly relating to the issue, a statement from the Ministry of the Presidency said.

The Cabinet Sub-Committee appointed by President David Granger is being chaired by Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman and it includes Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and Minister of State, Joseph Harmon.

The Sub-Committee met today, at the Office of the Prime Minister and was provided with an extensive and detailed brief with regard to the issues, needs and challenges related to the storage of medicine and medical supplies, the statement added.

Sub-Committee Chair, Minister Trotman and Health Minister Dr. Norton, who has made himself available to the Sub-Committee for the purposes of providing information and clarifications, subsequently conducted extensive inspection tours of both the Sussex Street, Georgetown facility along with the Ministry of Public Health Supplies Chain Management Complex at Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara.

The Sub-Committee is in the process of preparing an initial report and a further statement will be presented at the post-Cabinet Media Briefing today, Thursday, August 11.

Issues surrounding the storage of medicine and medical supplies were raised in the National Assembly on Monday when it was put to the house to approve an additional $63.541 M for the rental of buildings for the Ministry of Public Health.  This money was approved during the consideration of Financial Paper No.1/2016, which sought to bring additional funding for government agencies from the Contingency Fund.