Africa-Press – Eswatini. Despite seeking to resolve the drugs shortage in hospitals, Cabinet’s emergency medical drugs procurement fund will be met with widespread criticism after one company was awarded about 90 per cent of the E48m that was set aside.
The decision was taken by Cabinet in December in an effort to ensure that there was adequate supply of medical drugs and in an effort to resolve the health crisis.
However, it turns out one lucky company walked away with E37m for the supply of the drugs.
The actual amount for ASD Medical Suppliers is E37 460 799.85 while the whole emergency order was E47 921 721.71.
ASD was given two different orders amount to E23 335 603.85 plus E14 125 196 to supply pharmaceuticals and medical supplies.
The award to one company when the country is experiencing an unprecedented shortage of drugs in supply has been viewed as scandalous, by those in supply chain, questioning the logic of government putting all its eggs in one basket.
Government announced the emergency fund to buy medical drugs to rescue the health crisis in the country about six weeks ago, in a move aimed at ensuring that the awarding of the tender was equitable and fair – especially given the controversy over drugs supply that has been flagged in the forensic audit into the supply of medicines and drugs in the country.
That investigation has still not been concluded and the draft report handed to Cabinet has not yet been released.
According to documents seen by this newspaper, an amount of about E48m was allocated and approved by Cabinet for the emergency tender.
To ensure that all suppliers were given an opportunity to benefit from the tender, as opposed to awarding it to reputable and big government suppliers, in inventory of the 10 government suppliers was undertaken, with each supplier asked about the availability of stock in their possession.
A source close to the matter told this newspaper that suppliers were asked to provide quotations of stock at hand.
Government then issued a waiver to give orders to each of the suppliers to supply the drugs as an emergency.
However, one supplier was given 90 per cent of the tender to supply the drugs. The nine other suppliers share the 20 per cent supply.
A company called Sindroe got the second highest order of an amount of E3 873 049 while Swazi Pharm, the biggest supplier in the country got the third order for E1 537 374.93 to supply pharmaceuticals.
Pharm Industry was given an order of E1 125 728 with MEDI Plus with an order of E1 045 123 and the sixth company was MVJ with an order amounting to E897 508.61.
The seventh company named Avoma received an order of E601 492.50 and it was followed by Artemis Pharmaceuticals with an order of E 592 789.79.
The ninth company V & H Group received an order for E532 919.52 and the last being E-Medicals with an order of E260 937.78.
They were all given 3 days to deliver the stock which they had all confirmed to have had at hand.
All orders were issued on December 11, 2023 and delivery was expected on or before December 15th 2024.
These orders were approved and initiated by the Ministry of Health Principal Secretary, Khanya Mabuza.
“The ministry hereby requests the Eswatini Government Tender Board to consider and approve the award to the suppliers listed above for procurement and delivery of the critical medicines and medical supplies,” reads the instruction from Mabuza to the Tender Board.
He further said, the ministry’s plan was to get suppliers to cover the period December to February a stock that was to last three months while government was trying to sort out the medical crisis and the procurement issues.
Sources in the ministry of health have disclosed that some companies supplied within 24-hours of receiving the order beating the three-day deadline, while some companies have still not delivered.
Source:times
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