Auditor-General’s Report: 26 ambulances valued at $4m yet to arrive …to support COVID-19 management – Ghanaian Times

Ghana is yet to receive 26 ambulances worth $4 million that it ordered to support COVID-19 management, an Auditor General’s report on the country’s COVID-19 expenditure has revealed.

The report, covering the period March 2020 to June 2022, revealed that the health ministry signed a contract for the supply of Toyota Hiace deluxe ambulances on December 15, 2021.

The document states that of the total cost of $4,049,460.12, $607,419.02 was paid vehicles They were supposed to be delivered by January 15, 2022, but they remained undelivered as of November 28, 2022.

It said the ministry’s chief director attributed the delay to a request made by the unnamed supplier for an extension to enable the supplier to meet certain technical specifications.

The management, as per reports, indicated that upon technical inspection by the World Bank, additional specifications were recommended and hence the contract was extended till March 2023.

It noted that “under the prevailing economic difficulties, the supplier may apply for price variation to unnecessarily increase the cost of the contract, which could have been avoided if the ambulances had been supplied on schedule.”

Therefore, the report recommended that the Chief Director should ensure that the ambulances are not delivered beyond the extended date of March 2023.

Among various violations, it was revealed that GH¢21,844,189,185.24 was mobilized, GH¢11,750,683,059.11 was spent on COVID-19 activities and the rest on budget support.

According to the report, about 10.9 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines worth US$ 81.87 million have not been delivered to Ghana despite full payment to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT) of the African Union.

It said the Ministry of Health, on behalf of the government, paid an amount of USD 120,192,379.80 to UNICEF/AVAT for the supply of 16,025,650 vaccines under an agreement in 2020.

However, it was noted that 5,109,600.00 doses of vaccines worth US$38,322,000.00 were supplied to the National Cold Room, resulting in an outstanding balance of US$81,870,379.80 with UNICEF/AVAT.

The Chief Director of the Ministry of Health informed that the amount was paid in anticipation of getting all the vaccines within a short time for vaccination in the country.

“However, due to unpredictable vaccine donations in the country, limited vaccine storage capacity and the slow pace of vaccination by Ghanaians, it became impossible to obtain the Janssen vaccine, which was paid for,” the report said.

Based on the recommendation of the report that the Chief Director, Ministry of Health should renegotiate with UNICEF/AVAT for recovery of dues, the Ministry stated that it has initiated the process of renegotiation.

Medical equipment worth US$110,088.00 and GH¢27,895.00 in Madinah to Dr. C.K. Crystalloids from Amenuvwe and were released to a private hospital named Specialist Hospital, which did not serve as a COVID-19 isolation center or receive any COVID-19 patients.

Items included patient monitors, oxygen tubes for patient monitors, linen trolleys, nebulizer sets, oxygen concentrators, oxygen nasal prongs, pulse oximeter desktops, suction machines, and syringe pumps.

It recommended that the Chief Director should immediately inquire into the allocation of the hospital and report accordingly and added that Dr. Amenuvwe should be asked to pay for the equipment at current cost, failing which the amount would be recovered from the Chief Director. Should be known

The report also revealed that 1,022,348 doses of vaccines received in national cold rooms and issued to user facilities were expired in various districts and regions.

by Jonathan Donkor

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