The public hearings of the inquiry into alleged wrongdoings at the KHMH ended on Friday. It began on November 26th and ran for four weeks – during which time 18 witnesses were called. Those witnesses ranged from the hospital’s CEO and Board Chairman all the way down to the man who supplied them with vegetables. Tonight we’ll attempt to put those four weeks and 18 witnesses in a nutshell and distil the major findings into one ten minute story.
Keith SwiftReporting,
Issue one was tenders. The audit report accused CEO in the Ministry of Health Dr. Peter Allen of overruling the Tendering Committee.
Wayne Simon, Deputy Auditor General
“The tender committees’ recommendation for the most part were not taken by the CEO Ministry of Health. Instead suppliers with cheaper generic brand were contracted.”
Dr. Peter Allen, CEO – Ministry of Health
“Over 98% of the Tender Committee recommendations were accepted and savings of over $600,000 were realized. In no way can this process be considered contravening the act or indeed to defeat the process of having an open tender process. Once again the base fact is that over 98% of the recommendations were accepted.”
Three days later the Chief Pharmacist told the commission the exact opposite.
Sharon Sanchez Anderson, Chief Pharmacist – MOH
“In the 09-10 tender process the process remained virtually the same in terms of the bids, the submissions, the creation of the documents but the results, the recommendations that were sent to the CEO, any changes that was made the committee was not consulted on that issue.”
Orvin Nicholas,
“You mentioned that the committee did not see the final document for
2009 to 2010. But you being in the ministry, have you seen that final document?”
Sharon Sanchez Anderson,
“That final document was sent to us via email on April 2nd. Contracts were signed on April 1st.”
Issue two was MC Pharmaceuticals – the company owned by the wife of Chairman Dr. Ricardo Fabro.
[December 15th, 2009]
Dr. Ricardo Fabro, KHMH Chairman
“MC Pharmaceutical is a sole proprietorship business registered to my wife.”
Orvin Nicholas, Commissioner
“How do you separate yourself, your wife being a part of a company and you as the chairman of the KHMH when it comes to advice, when it comes to decision making? How do you draw that thin line between benefits being accruing to your family and benefits accruing to the institution?”
Dr. Ricardo Fabro,
“I think they are two separate issues.”
Orvin Nicholas,
“Can you separate it?”
Dr. Ricardo Fabro,
“I have always separated them.”
[November 30th, 2009]
Dr. Peter Allen, CEO - KHMH
“I would like to note for the record once again that MC Pharmaceuticals did not win any contract at all in the subsequent year. Once again my lord, I believe that it should be noted for the record that changes to the preliminary recommendations of the tender committee were discussed, agreed, and signed off on by the members on the 5th of May 2008. The agreed changes resulted in savings of hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
Issue three: was Pharmacol Limited – that’s the company owned by radiologist Freddy Mansu who works at the KHMH and whose company received payment before it was even registered.
[December 4th 2009]
Freddy Mansu, chief radiologist
“That was my private business and I was with a partner so it had nothing
to do with the hospital.”
[December 11th, 2009]
Dr. Alvaro Rosado,
“I do not have any recollection of Pharmoco and certainly not Freddy Mansu selling anything under my watch and I was there until March of 2008.”
[December 18th 2009]
Adolph Lucas, Chairman of Commission
“Why did you sign a check for Pharmaco Limited because you are saying that you didn’t know about it?”
Dr. Alvaro Rosado, Former CEO – KHMH
“I don’t know the company; I signed checks for lots of companies at the KHMH that I don’t know the company.”
And there is issue four: De La Fuente Pharmacy – who the former supplies manager and director of finance claimed they were told to buy from by new management.
Carlton Usher, Former Manager of Supplies Unit
“When Carlos Perrera, Director of Finance took over, he instructed me to get all meat, all fish, from Orange Walk.”
Cecil Knowles, Former Director of Financial Services
“From the appointment of the Chairman of the Board, the board started interfering in the daily management and running of the hospital including directing myself where and from whom to purchase medical and food supplies.”
[December 15th 2009]
Dr. Ricardo Fabro, KHMH Board Chairman
“I don’t deal with supplies. I gave no such directive to Mr. Knowles and I think the evidence shows that not to be so.”
[December 16th, 2009]
Dr. Francis Gary Longsworth, KHMH CEO
“From my point of view it is a coincidence that De La Fuente is our major purchaser because we purchase on a competitive basis and the fact that they are able to supply so many of our goods and items competitively is just a matter of circumstance.”
Issue 5 was the $1 million grant from Venezuela which the audit report says was misused.
Chevan Fairweather, Accountant - KHMH
“Sir I didn’t even know it was Venezuelan grant until after
I think it was last year, if it is not late last year it was early this year, that a representative from Venezuela came and I was asked to put together the payments that were made out of the monies that we had received. We had received $300,000 as far as I could recollect for the rehabilitation of medical equipments and $700,000 for the purchase of medical equipments.”
[December 15th 2009]
Dr. Alvaro Rosado, former KHMH CEO
“There is a file at the KHMH for the Venezuela grants. I am surprised, like I mentioned the last time, mildly amused, very surprised that you have not been able to get those documents. There is a file titled Venezuela grant. Those documents are there. They are selecting things to send out here.”
Issue 6 was perhaps the most scandalous. It was revealed in the last day of testimony. Parts for the hospital’s chiller were bought and paid for twice but never received.
[December 18th, 2009]
Laurel Grant, Human Resources Manager – KHMH
“I am aware that the parts were ordered and I am aware that it was paid for but I was not aware of was that it had arrived. I did not see any paper work for these parts at that time. Well at this particular time there are a lot of things that we needed to get done, the new board had recently took over and we were going through a transition period. So to be truthful, yes we needed these parts urgently because the chiller was done for some time but I don’t recall that we had discussed it. Maybe we did but I can’t recall.”
Carlos Perrera, Director of Finance – KHMH
“Neither management, none of us at that point in time were aware that any payment had been made. All we were aware when we came on board was that parts needed to be ordered. We were not aware that a payment had already been made….”
The one witness who the commission wanted to hear from but couldn’t was former Medical Chief of Staff Khaled Ghazy. He was the man who started it all but he is out of the country and wrote of his regret to the commission. But without Ghazy, the commission is now writing its report which will be forwarded to the Prime Minister.
