PUTRAJAYA – The Health Ministry (MoH) is to submit its response to the Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) findings on lax procurement processes for ventilators during the Covid-19 pandemic, next month.
Health Ministry Dr Zaliha Mustafa said MoH is committed to cooperating with the parliamentary committee on its recommendations in its recent report on the government’s management of the pandemic.
“We have actually given full cooperation to the PAC when they asked for information on matters of concern to the PAC.
“If there is anything else the PAC needs, we are ready to provide all the necessary information,” Bernama reported Zaliha saying after officiating the ministry’s Integrity Day here, today.
She was asked to respond to PAC chairman Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin who yesterday said the committee had sent a letter to MOH asking for a response to recommendations made in the Covid-19 Outbreak Management report: Expired Vaccines, Unusable Ventilator Equipment and Surplus Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
The report was published on October 30 and is available on the Parliament website.
The report had highlighted a lack of accountability in the procurement of 104 faulty and inoperable ventilators during the pandemic in 2020.
This was because there was no contract or agreement between MoH and Pharmaniaga Logistic Sdn Bhd (PLSB) which made the procurements, as as such, no party could be held responsible.
The report also revealed that MOH’s legal adviser was also not consulted during the process of preparing the PLSB appointment letter. – November 15, 2023