PARLIAMENT | The Health Ministry is not taking action over the supply of defective ventilators provided by Pharmaniaga Logistics Sdn Bhd during the Covid-19 movement control order (MCO).
In a written Dewan Negara reply on June 27, Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa (above) said that this was because the emergency procurement of the ventilators had followed protocols set by the Finance Ministry.
However, she said that the ministry will take action based on the recommendations from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in its forthcoming report.
Zaliha was responding to Senator Zurainah Musa who had asked if any disciplinary action would be taken against ministry staff over the supply of non-functioning ventilators from Pharmaniaga during the movement control order (MCO).
On June 8, PAC chairperson Mas Ermieyati Samsudin said that the parliamentary watchdog on government spending will call up the secretaries-general of the Health Ministry and the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry to find out more about expired Covid-19 vaccines and faulty ventilators supplied to the government.
Free Malaysia Today reported that the two secretaries-general will be required to appear on June 15 before the PAC.
On Feb 16, according to the second series of the Auditor-General's Report 2021, the ministry ordered 136 ventilators for a price tag of RM20.1 million under emergency allocation. However, it was later found that some could not be used.
The machines, ordered from overseas manufacturers through an unnamed local company, were meant to beef up government hospitals’ medical assets during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Following this, the government had to fork out another RM3.97 million for upgrading works by the same company, making the total costs for its ventilator procurement rise to RM24.07 million.
Damaged machines
The Health Ministry was put in the spotlight when several MPs raised questions surrounding defective Covid-19 supplies and equipment waste during the 2021 Auditor-General’s Report debate.
Jimmy Puah (Harapan-Tebrau) took the lead, saying that the defective supplies were provided during the Covid-19 emergency and that the Health Ministry did not conduct proper documentation with its suppliers.
He said that of the 136 ventilators, only 28 of them can be used, leaving the ministry with 108 damaged machines.
Puah said out of the 108, only 15 were returned to the manufacturer for replacement. - Mkini
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