Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Public Health Leslie Cadogan has been dismissed for alleged gross negligence and misconduct in the performance of his duties.

Cadogan, who was sent on accumulated leave on July 20, 2015 by Minister of State Joseph Harmon was dismissed with effect from September 1 2015. Cadogan has in the past not responded to requests by Stabroek News for comment on matters related to his portfolio.

A letter dated August 31, 2015 from Harmon to Cadogan said that he was being dismissed in accordance with Clause 7 (a) of his contract. The letter went on to blame him for various problems related to the drug procurement. These were likely contracts with the New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation (New GPC) which have been the subject of much controversy in recent years.

Harmon said in the letter, “Your failure to ensure that there was proper accountability in the delivery of drugs to the Ministry of Public Health was demonstrated in the incomplete delivery of supplies to the tune of $419,110,786 in one instance. In the other instance, you failed to ensure that the remaining 50% of $1.1b delivery of supplies was done. It is therefore in view of this gross negligence and misconduct in the performance of your duties that your services have been terminated.”

Cadogan was instructed to hand over all equipment which had been issued to him to the acting Permanent Secretary Trevor Thomas.

In July, Cadogan was instructed to proceed on accumulated leave of 193 days from July 20 to enable significant reforms particularly in the light of growing concerns over the procurement and distribution of drugs.

Harmon, in a letter to Cadogan said it had been brought to the attention of the Ministry of the Presidency that he had accumulated 193.5 days of leave.

The letter added, “The Minister of Public Health (Dr George Norton) by a letter dated July 16, 2015 has advised me that as part of significant reforms to be undertaken within the Ministry of Public Health, particularly in light of growing concerns relative to the procurement and distributing of pharmaceuticals of his intention to have you proceed on all outstanding vacation leave.”

The letter said that Thomas had been identified to act as Permanent Secretary in the interim and there must be a handover of all ministry/government properties to him. The letter was copied to Norton and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of the Presidency Omar Shariff.

The letter to Cadogan sending him on leave came on the heels of a report in Stabroek News that the Ministry of Health had begun processing a $572 million payment to the New GPC in connection with a contract that was awarded to the company weeks before the May 11 general elections.

According to a Ministry of Health request form seen by Stabroek News, the payment was for the purchase of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies. The document, dated July 14, 2015, was signed by Cadogan.

On April 21, the PPP/C Cabinet gave its no-objection to the award of a contract for US$6.7 million (approximately $1.4 billion). Notification was then given on April 27 by Chairman of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board Donald De Clou to Cadogan that Cabinet had given its no-objection.

The awards of drug contracts to New GPC had been subject to much criticism by APNU and the AFC when they were in opposition. The previous PPP/C government had introduced new pre-qualification guidelines for those wishing to supply drugs to the public sector and critics had charged that these had been heavily skewed in favour of New GPC to ensure that it was the only company to prequalify. In the end, only New GPC was prequalified despite complaints from several other companies that had applied for prequalification.

The APNU+AFC government is said to be assessing the way forward for the supply of drugs to the public health system.