Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence has denied that the Ministry has rented a bond in Princes Street and that medical supplies stored in seven rooms at the Ocean View Hotel were damaged due to termite infestation.
Answering questions posed by Opposition Member of Parliament Dr Frank Anthony on the rental of buildings during the consideration of the budget estimates on Thursday evening, under the heading, policy development and administration, Lawrence said that the controversial Sussex Street bond is no longer being rented by government.
Rental of buildings under policy and administration for 2019 is budgeted at $165 million compared to last year which was in the sum of $180.3 million.
Asked if a Princes Street bond was being paid for under this heading, Lawrence said, “I have absolutely no knowledge about this Princes Street bond. This is the second time I am hearing about the Princes Street bond. Perhaps he (Anthony) has some details I do not have or the ministry’s staff do not have.”
Anthony said that while the minister said she has no knowledge of a Princes Street bond, the 2017 Auditor General’s report “clearly states that you have a facility at Princes Street which the Ministry has been renting.”
Lawrence said, “My answer to Princes Street is that the information would have to come to the Ministry. We do not have any building in Princes Street.”
In the exchange, Anthony said, “I cannot imagine that the Auditor General would put something like this in the report. It is here at page 544 of the Auditor General’s report. Princes Street warehouse.”
Asked about the cost for rental of the seven rooms at the Ocean View Inter-national Hotel, Lawrence said she was happy to acknowledge that the company has extended its social responsibility by offering the Ministry space to keep some of its supply items since the bond at Kingston was broken down to build a new one. “We are grateful and thankful. There is no cost,” she said.
While he said he was happy about the company’s corporate social responsibility, Anthony said, “What is worrying is whether these facilities meet warehouse standards.”
He quoted the Auditor General’s report which said the items were stored in conditions infested by termites, and that prevented the auditors from doing a proper audit of the items stored.
Lawrence said the Ministry has found no damage to the items that were stored at the Ocean View International Hotel. “What the member did not read to this House is the following paragraph which states that the proprietors have treated the rooms against termites and rodents to avoid damage to the items,” she said.
Lawrence suggested that Anthony put the questions in relation to the issue in the House so the Committee of Supply could go back to the business of the estimates.
Anthony insisted that in addition to termites’ infestation, photographs of the extent of damage were printed to demonstrate that the auditors could not ascertain the damage.
The buildings being rented for the sum stated include three two-storey buildings at Duke Street, Kingston at a cost of $260,000 a month to house staff of the Cuban medical brigade; a three-storey building for $1.5 million a month at Lamaha Street, North Cummingsburg; a two-storey building for $125,000 a month at Fort Street, Kingston; a house at Herstelling for $90,000 a month for the Cuban medical brigade; a house at Craig Street, Campbell-ville for $600,000 a month for another set of the Cuban medical brigade; a five-storey building at Barrack Street, Kingston from NICIL for $4.7 million a month, a one-storey building in New Amsterdam for housing of nurses during training at $190,000 a month; a house at Atlantic Gardens for the medical coordinator and four Cuban doctors at $570,000 per month; a house at Silverballi Street, Mackenzie, Linden to accommodate nursing students from the interior at $240,000 a month; and at Madgalena Street, New Amsterdam, a three-storey building to accommodate nursing students at $360,000 a month.
Asked about the increase in the allocation to $196.7 million this year compared to last year’s $161.6 million for contracted employees given a decline in the number of personnel on the staff in 2019, Lawrence said, “The amount catered here is for the increase in salaries” which will be from zero to seven percent.
On the request to lay over the items that will be procured under drugs and medical supplies, Anthony said he made a similar request last year during the consideration of the estimates and the commitment made to have them presented to the National Assembly was not honoured and he wanted a reasonable timeframe within which the list would be presented.
Speaker Dr Barton Scotland said when commitments are made for whatever reason, he expects that they will be honoured and that a Member of Parliament who makes a specific request should not wait a year later to bring it to the attention of the Speaker.
Lawrence said she had received a letter from the Office of the Clerk of the National Assembly and she listed and submitted all the items requested. “We did honour our obligations. We will do so again,” she said.
