A Trinidad-based medical products company has secured four contracts worth $135.4m.
According to the Ministry of the Presidency (MotP), Cabinet at its meeting on August 15,2017 noted the award of 16 multi-million-dollar contracts.
According to a release from MotP, among these contracts were a number for the health sector.
Trans Continental Medical Products Limited (TCMPL) whose website lists its address as 25 Saints Gardens, Malabar, Arima, Trinidad secured four contracts.
It secured a contract for the procurement of Alere Dengue Test Kits for Standard and Technical Services worth US$86.2m. It also clinched a contract for US$369,000 for the procurement of HIV I +II Determine test kits and Unigold test kits for standard and technical services. Transcontinental also secured a contract for US$117,500 for the procurement of HIV I and II Determine test kits for the National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS) . The company also sewed up a contract for US$84,875 for the purchase of HIV Determine and Unigold test kits for the National Public Health Reference Laboratory.
TCMPL said on its website that “As the sole distributor of the only two HIV rapid diagnostic tests and the only tests for dengue and leptospirosis that have been government-sanctioned for use in the Caribbean region, we ensure that this area has access to life-saving medical services. We stand by our commitment to affordable, high quality products that meet the needs of this underserved market”.
It said that it primarily serves the English speaking Caribbean including Trinidad and Tobago.
Another Trinidadian company, Western Scien-tific Company Limited secured a contract worth US$154, 154 for the procurement of Sysmex reagents for the NAPS. Western Scientific was one of a number of companies that Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence had told Parliament in June this year had delivered expired or nearly expired drugs to the ministry.
Furthermore, in January of this year, a Board of Inquiry (BOI) into allegations of mismanagement and malpractices in the procurement of pharmaceuticals at the Ministry of Public Health had recommended that the representative of Western Scientific be debarred from future tenders.
This recommendation came after it was discovered that an employee of the Public Health Ministry had conspired with the Western Scientific Representative to gain insider information.
Furthermore, the BOI said that the Trinidadian company was hostile to the BOI and failed to appear before it. The BOI also recommended that legal advice be sought over the reviewing of contracts awarded to the Western Scientific representative.
Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting also noted awards of US$174,260 to the Pan American Health Organisation for the procurement of vaccines and syringes for the Maternal Child Health Unit and another worth US$112,420 for the purchase of vaccines for the Maternal and Child Health Unit.
Caribbean Medical Supplies Inc clinched a contract for $27.3m for the purchase of Becton Dickinson Reagents for the national reference lab. Eureka Medical Labora-tories Incorporated won a contract for $92.1m for the procurement of Eagle Reagents for standard and technical services.
In addition, Diamed-Caribbean Incorporated secured a contract for US$94,659 for the purchase of Biokit and Biorad reagents for NAPS.
