AG report reveals undelivered drugs despite hospitals running on inadequate supplies

Drugs and medical supplies worth K699,411 from Medical Stores and other suppliers had not been delivered to Matero, Kalingalinga, Kanyama in Lusaka and Chinsali, Nakonde and Mpika as at August 31, 2018, the Auditor General’s Report has revealed.

And an officer in the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure Development had by end of August not retired K346,512 imprest contrary to Financial Regulations.

According to the Auditor General’s Report on Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the financial year ended December 31, 2017, various drugs costing K249,042 distributed to two provinces were unaccounted for as there were no disposal details such as stock control cards.

“Irregularities in the utilisation of medical supplies: An examination of Dispatch Notes from Medical Stores Ltd and Stores records maintained at the Provincial Health Office and selected District Health Offices, Hospitals and Clinics revealed the following: During the period under review, drugs and medical supplies costing K699,411 procured from Medical Stores and other suppliers had not been delivered to the medical institutions in two provinces as at 31st August 2018,” the report indicates.

The report named the institutions as Muchinga’s Provincial Health Office and the district office with undelivered medical drugs and supplies worth K26,144 and K376,206 respectively while Mpika and Nakonde district health offices had unsupplied drugs worth K28,288 and K90,595 respectively.

As for Lusaka, Matero and Kanyama’s Level One hospital’s had unsupplied drugs and medical supplies worth K12,920 and K13,079 while Kalingalinga warehouse’s unsupplied medical drugs and supplies were worth K152,179.

On health infrastructure, the report shows that during the period from 2014 to 2017, the ministry engaged 26 contractors with contract prices in amounts totalling K135,503,744 to carry out various development activities against which amounts totalling K65,735,927 were paid representing 49 per cent of the total contract prices.

“A scrutiny of records and physical inspections of various projects carried out during the period from March to June 2018, revealed that there were delays in the completion of projects, poor workmanship, stalled works, among others,” the report revealed.

Apart from the unretired imprest involving one officer at the Ministry of Housing the AG’s report also shows that two receipt books 7424501 to 7424550 and 7424551 to 74246000 used for the Symposium on Housing and Infrastructure whose objective was to create a platform for stakeholders to share practical solutions to challenges and best practices obtaining in the construction sector in April 2017 were not among those availed for audit of K505,250 deposited for the event thus funds collected respect of the missing receipt books could not be ascertained.

Source: The Mast