Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence yesterday once again defended the integrity of the award of a $367 million contract for emergency drugs to New York-based HDM Labs Inc. last year, saying all the necessary procedures were followed but failing to account for the ministry’s dealings with the company in the months before.
“Mr. Speaker, I wish to state that according to NPTAB [the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board], all the relevant procedures were followed by the Ministry of Public Health in accordance with the Procurement Act of 2003,” Lawrence told the House as she read from a prepared statement yesterday.
