Gov’t spent about $1.64B on drugs, medical supplies from Jan 1, to Feb 28, 2017

The total sum expended for pharmaceuticals and medical supplies by the Ministry of Public Health for the period January 1, 2016, to February 28, 2017, totals $1,635,070,822.

This is 96.1035 percent of the 2016 budgetary allocation by December 2016, leaving $21,145,486 under the Policy Development and Administration, Disease Control, Family Health Care Services, Regional and Clinical Services, Health Sciences  Education, Standards and Technical Services and Disability and Rehabilitation Services summary.

This information was provided by Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence in a written response circulated in the National Assembly today (Monday, May 08, 2017). This was in response to a question posed by the opposition side of the House with regards the sum spent during the aforementioned period.

The opposition wanted to know the name of each supplier, the value of the contract and date of award, the supplier(s) who may have failed to deliver within the contractual period, and the name of the supplier who may have delivered substandard drugs.

The Minister pointed out that one supplier was blacklisted by the Food and Drugs Department however, she noted that vaccines were received in the first quarter of 2017 which would explain the under performance in the procurement of the drugs and medical supplies for the public health system.

Minister Lawrence explained that International Pharmaceutical Agency, Global Healthcare Supplies Incorporated and Ansa Mc Al Trading Limited failed to deliver within their stipulated contractual period by the amounts of $381,193,319, $2,569,719.10 and $12,488,630 respectively.

The opposition also queried whether the tenders for procurement of drugs and medical supplies were publicly advertised. The procurement of drugs and medical supplies were advertised in the print media, the Minister responded.

The National Procurement and Tender Administration Board was responsible for awarding these contracts.

(GINA)