– New GPC continues sole distribution of drugs to health sector By Rehanna Ramsay The political party, Alliance for Change (AFC), is demanding answers to queries on Government policies in regards to the procurement of medical supplies as corruption and wastage continue to plague this section of the Health Ministry.Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ RamroopRecent investigations conducted by the AFC have revealed that the bidding process for procurement of drugs to the health sector has been overlooked once again, as New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation, (New GPC) continues to be the sole supplier of drugs to state owned health facilities.Leader of Alliance for Change, Khemraj Ramjattan, on Thursday said that the discovery was made after it was noticed that “there has not been any advertisement to bid or tender for medical supplies in the daily newspapers.”“We understand that New GPC has been delivering medical supplies to hospitals, and Government health institutions throughout the country….”Ramjattan explained that according to investigations the sole distribution by New GPC is conducted by means of $4 billion,Wholesale Authentic Jerseys, which was approved in this year’s national budget for the purchase of medical supplies.“We want to know whether the procurement process is not applicable to the medical supplies anymore, notwithstanding the commitment made by the Minister of Health during the last budgetary debate,” Ramjattan saidRamjattan added that findings revealed that the quantity of expired drugs at medical institutions have been due to a breakdown within the health sector.“We have found that these drugs are being supplied based on instructions from the Ministry of Health, although there is no need for the drugs and despite the demand for other required drugs …In this case overstocking is deliberately done adding to the wastage. We would like to see quality drugs placed on the shelf with long shelf lives.”Health Minister, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran stated that he is not directly responsible for the acquisition of drugs and therefore could not offer any clarification on the issue. He directed queries to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, who was in a meeting at the time.In recent years, the procurement of drugs by Government has come under intense evaluation with New GPC at the center of criticisms.Government in a bid to justify the continuous supply of billions worth of medical drugs from New GPC, said that its not convinced that its practice of handling billions of dollars in drug supply contracts to New GPC, which is controlled by Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop represents sole-sourcing, even if no one else is involved in bidding for the contracts.AFC leader Khemraj RamjattanEarlier this year, Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon, sought to explain Government’s stance on the subject. Dr. Luncheon said that at no time are pharmaceuticals procured without the procurement agency’s knowledge on the competitive prices for the items.Dr. Luncheon indicated that anytime a local provider is “selected” that provider’s submission has to be competitive in relation to international providers that actually provide drugs to Guyana and other developing countries. The agency he referred to is the IDA Foundation, the world’s leading not-for-profit supplier of affordable pharmaceutical products.This Luncheon says is what makes the procurement of medical drugs from New GPC not sole sourcing. He said that matter of comparing prices is a “competitive component of the procurement process.”The single source method for the procurement of goods is set out in Section 28 of the Procurement Act 2003.For single sourcing to take place, it must be a case where the goods are available only from a particular supplier or contractor, or a particular supplier or contractor has exclusive rights with respect to the goods and no reasonable alternative or substitute exists.
