The Ministry of Public Health is one step closer to being self-sufficient in storing its own medical supplies as tenders for an extension for a Materials Management Unit (MMU) bond were opened on Tuesday at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB).
With an engineer’s estimate of $130.9M, the contract saw tender submissions by four companies.
They are JR Edmondson Building Works $127.1M, M&P Investment $98.6M, Rafeek and Sons Construction $154.6M and Doodnauth’s Construction and Supplies $11.5M.
Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence last week told Stabroek News that her ministry has severed rental relations with the New GPC and by the end of this year will do the same with all others.
The Public Health Minister had stressed that the scaling down in rentals will affect “all privately owned bonds” and it is hoped that the money saved in rentals can go towards the upgrading of the ministry’s storage and other related systems.
“This year we are focusing on us being able to stock our own medications… cutting back costs and investing in the sector itself this year,” Lawrence informed.
Further, she added, “We are looking at savings whereby we can do some more work on the GPHC (Georgetown Public Hospital) bond of itself in terms of extension so that we can come out of the other rental bond. It is a work in progress.”
She pointed out that Tuesday’s contract would see an extension of the MMU’s Diamond, East Bank Demerara bond, thus giving the ministry additional storage capacity.
She said too that the Kingston bond is to be rehabilitated.
“We will have the extension at Diamond… and remedial works to the Kingston Bond where they will have more capacity. The Diamond Bond extension, that tender will be opening next week (last Tuesday) and we will have the repair works at the Kingston to bond follow,” she said.
The Public Health Minister’s primary concern is access to medication by persons needing it and had explained that this can be achieved through savings of rental and an efficient storage and inventory system, among other initiatives.
“It was a bit chaotic, not on stream. You didn’t have a first in, first out system being used and so and it has incurred a lot of costs to us taxpayers. I will make a statement on that so that people could understand where a lot of our money has gone. We could have built three bonds with that money so we have to stop that.
“Having had experience in the social arena I know the feelings of the people out there and my greatest objective would be that I remove all the hindrances that is stopping the poor people from getting the best healthcare service. I want to ensure that granny gets her medication and she don’t have to take her pension and buy it. Also, I want to ensure that a mother don’t have to choose between the rent and buying medication for her children…,” she added.
With experience in seeing firsthand how computerised and digital storage and inventory systems work abroad, the Minister of Public Health says she will endeavour to have similar systems in place here.
Employing and training persons to use these systems would also be on her agenda for next year.
She explained, “We have to employ the right people, ensure they are trained and so forth. Storekeeping is not just about anybody coming off the road. You have to do it in a systematic way. Next year we want to look at how we can improve the efficiency of the bonds bringing in new equipment….We need to get with it but we have to save the money. We have to get the money.”
