Dear Editor,
There is an endless stream of ‘emergency’ situations in the health sector in Region 6 which makes possible the overriding of the tendering process. This has transpired with amazing frequency in the past year. The recurring ‘emergency’ is the procurement of drugs for the various medical facilities in the Region. I could recall quite vividly when the previous administration was soundly lambasted for very minor infractions. I could recall as well that this coalition government claimed to have the panacea for the problems in the health sector. The question is why is there this emergency situation one year later?
Another example is the awarding of a $2.1 million contract to empty 9 septic tanks at the New Amsterdam Hospital. However, a little enquiry will suffice to provide evidence that the emptying of one such tank will cost about $40,000. The total amount should have been about $360,000. Even if this is inflated to $100,000 for each then it would still be around $900,000. Again, this contract was never tendered. Why not?
Then there is the massive spending in the name of the 50th Jubilee Independence celebration. This is the most obscene spending spree at a time when the economy is in shambles. Now, there is ‘emergency’ cleaning of the roadsides from New Amsterdam to Moleson Creek. Again this is a cleaning programme that should have been on the agenda since the 2016 Budget, hence there should have been more than enough time to tender this work to get competitive bidding. The three contracts amounted to a total of $57 million, but if one were to look at the roadsides it would defy a microscopic investigation to see where this $57 million went. The roadsides appear as normal – bushy, dirty and with the drains clogged. A small amount of work was done in and around New Amsterdam, at the approach to the Berbice Bridge and some hopscotched areas.
Lastly, the rains have also justified emergency works to the extent that Region 6 may very well be in a situation where it has already expended more money than was budgeted, but I guess an ‘emergency supplementary budget’ is already in the making.
Yours faithfully,
Haseef Yusuf
Councillor
Region 6