Reeling from a series of procurement scandals and drug shortages countrywide, the Ministry of Public Health is now dealing with the theft of around $100,000 in pharmaceuticals from its flagship Diamond bond which has ensnared around 15 employees.
The Ministry this afternoon provided the following update on the theft:
This is the latest information we have following Wednesday’s discovery of stolen drugs at the Diamond Bond.
1. One male employee has admitted to the crime
2. Several others are on station bail
3. None of the employees who were initially taken into custody and later released has reported for duty Thursday. “They are on strike” a Materials Management Unit (MMU) official familiar with the incident said Thursday
4. One female MMU worker who was among the 15 arrested initially in the drugs probe has resigned “with immediate effect” the same official has confirmed.
5. Items stashed off included Clozole (an anti-fungal cream used for yeast infection); On Call Plus (used mainly by diabetics to test the blood sugar); Chlorophane (a cough medicine) and ferrovite (a multivitamin product used to treat or prevent low blood levels of iron and vitamin B12).
6. The stolen items have been conservatively valued at US$500 (G$100,000).
