Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence on Friday appeared before the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) to answer questions on the purchase of $605 million in emergency drugs for the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) in violation of the procurement law.
The purchase, which was drawn to the public’s notice by Stabroek News in March, has raised questions about the APNU+AFC government’s commitment to abiding by the procurement laws and the role of one of its senior ministers in the debacle. The transaction is also seen as a major test of the independence of the fledgling PPC, which is intended to ensure procurement probity after years of questionable transactions particularly in the health sector.
Sources told this newspaper that the minister controverted a press release sent out by her ministry back in March of this year where it said she admitted to “fast tracking” the process and had blamed a
