Introduction
As I was about to prepare Part II of my article on the 2011 Auditor General’s report on the Ministry of Finance, three media reports on the procurement of drugs and medical supplies for the Georgetown Hospital and the Ministry of Health caught my eye. The first relates to the Public Accounts Committee examination of the 2010 Auditor General’s report where the Permanent Secretary was grilled about purchases made, especially from a local organisation. The second report was about a call from one of the Opposition political parties for a full investigation into the matter. The third item relates to a senior Government functionary seeking to defend the Government’s action by asserting that although the procurement might be viewed as one of sole sourcing, the two agencies do carry out checks to ensure that the prices paid are realistic and competitive.
Today, we step aside for a while to provide an analysis of the Government’s
