One year after, emergency generator for Suddie Hospital still to arrive

Jul 19, 2017 News, http://www.kaieteurnewsonline....tal-still-to-arrive/

It has been over one year since a generator was supposed to be purchased by the Region Two Democratic Council to be installed at the Suddie Hospital. That item is yet to be delivered to the health care facility. This is one reason why the region failed to achieve its predicted capital expenditure by 23.4 per cent or $65.665M for 2015.

The generator was budgeted to be purchased in 2015. However, along with other projects it was re-budgeted for 2016. Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee on Monday was Regional Executive Officer of the region, Rupert Hopkinson, who confirmed that the generator has still not been purchased for the hospital.

The region appeared before PAC to respond to queries on a number of matters that were highlighted in the Auditor General’s report for 2015.

Although Hopkinson was not the REO when the regional budget was prepared, he assumed position of REO just in time to sign off on the projects. His excuse for the generator not being procured is that there was difficulty getting the approval of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB).

The cheque to pay for the generator was cut in December 2015. However, this action was questioned by PAC Chairman, Irfaan Ali, as to how a cheque was cut and there was no approval from NPTAB. The cheque has not been returned to the Consolidated Fund.

Further, Hopkinson said that he was advised by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communities to sole source the item.

Ali explained to Hopkinson that he could not have sought to sole source the generator based on the advice of the Permanent Secretary but rather after seeking approval from NPTAB to so do.

Further, Hopkinson said that he visited the Machinery Corporation of Guyana (MACORP) to ascertain the price for a generator. There was no contract signed between the company and the region neither was the cheque paid to the supplier.

The REO explained that sole sourcing the item was chosen as the way forward since there was an emergency at the Suddie Hospital to have the old generator replaced. Hopkinson was asked whether MACORP was the only supplier of generators, however, he said that he chose the company because he thought it to be the most reputable.

PAC members refused to accept that the REO on his own accord decided that MACORP was the most reputable supplier. One member, Juan Edghill,told the PAC Chairman that the REO determined that he wanted a generator from MACORP and approached the company for an invoice and proceeded to cut a cheque for the amount.

Ali said that the REO’s responses to questions were not in keeping with the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act (FMAA). “Your actions have to be guided by the FMAA. I just want to remind you. It is not guided by how you feel, how you think and your own biases. It is guided by what the FMAA says.”

Hopkinson said that other sources were approached but there was no response and based on the urgency of the situation, he was advised to go to MACORP. However, this explanation was still not accepted by Edghill.

“I am not going to accept that answer. You had a budget that was approved by this House for the acquisition of a generator. In your capital projects you did not advertise for this generator to be procured. There was no advertisement.

“In December, while your project is underperforming, you sought to get the money out of the system to improve your performance. So you opted to sole source it. You discussed that with your PS who probably made some recommendations. You went to MACORP and got a quotation and you cut a cheque. Everything, against the law.”

Edghill told Hopkinson that there was no urgency that required him to approach MACORP. He described it as a capital programme that was programmed into the region’s 2015 budget and that a procurement process was not followed. He told Hopkinson that the region simply ran out of time in sourcing the item and was trying to defend its slothfulness with excuses.

Hopkinson maintained that there was an urgency to procure the item. This was confirmed by PAC member and Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence.

She said, “As far as I know, this item is needed at the Suddie Hospital.

While they have a generator in place, it is not adequate enough to take off the load of the hospital. So this particular item is an emergency, perhaps not for the region but for the hospital, so that the hospital can be able to function adequately.

“The money was budgeted in 2016. I was told that this generator was ordered. So my question to the REO is, what are the other challenges that today in 2017, we don’t have this generator?”

The REO was asked what NPTAB communicated to the region as to the reason for not approving the purchase. Hopkinson said that NPTAB is asking that the region make a re-submission regarding the purchase. This excuse too was rejected by PAC.

Ultimately, the REO said that the region will need to observe the policy and refund the cheque to the Consolidated Fund and advertise for the procurement of the generator in accordance with the law.

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