A recent review by the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the 2019 Auditor General’s report has revealed that the Region Nine administration, under the former APNU+AFC government, allocated $100 million to the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) for drugs and medical supplies, but “$42 million worth of those supplies was never delivered to the region.”
The review found that while Region Nine transferred the full $100 million through an inter-departmental warrant to MoPH, the region received only approximately $57 million in supplies. The PAC, led by Minister of Public Works Bishop Juan Edghill, questioned the shortfall and demanded accountability for the missing items.
Regional Executive Officer (REO) Karl Singh confirmed that a balance of “$42,216,788 remains unreconciled” and noted that no detailed explanation was provided by the Ministry of Public Health for the incomplete delivery. Singh highlighted that this shortfall created a significant gap in the region’s medical supplies, based on records from the Materials Management Unit (MMU).
Minister Edghill stressed the impact of the missing supplies, explaining that the shortage accounted for nearly 40% of the region’s expected inventory, likely affecting healthcare services. He emphasized that “the public deserved a clear explanation” for the missing supplies and called for a more structured, transparent process in the procurement and reconciliation of essential supplies, with oversight from the Audit Office, to prevent future discrepancies.
