Hospital Board to send corruption charges to Auditor General
Stabroek News
September 20, 2002
The Board of the Guyana Public Hospital (GPHC) is to ask the Auditor General to investigate allegations of corruption, which were raised by a dismissed member of staff.
The PNCR, which publicized the charges some weeks ago, has continued to lament what it deems the refusal of the board at the GPHC to deal firmly and transparently with the allegations.
Former director of Finance and General Services, Mahase Pertab, has made several allegations concerning improper practices at the institution, which in part relate to the purchase of certain drugs.
A press release from the GPHC said the board had held an extraordinary meeting yesterday and “decided to ask the Auditor General to mount an investigation into all allegations of irregular and illegal transactions forwarded to it recently.”
The release also stated: “It was also decided to begin an internal reorganisation of the hospital’s management structure in an effort to enhance its effectiveness, transparency and accountability. Management experts with the appropriate expertise will be co-opted to assist in this immediate exercise.”
Chairman of the Board, Doreen de Caires told this newspaper after the meeting that ever since the allegations were made, some two weeks ago, the board of directors had asked Pertab to put his complaints in writing and he has since done so.
The PNC/R at its weekly press conference yesterday said the chairman had claimed that she did not know about the allegations.
But the party said it had copies of correspondence, which clearly confirmed that she was made aware of the matter in writing by Pertab and the Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy.
de Caires told this newspaper that she was only furnished with the documents after the board had requested from Pertab the information of his allegations.
The party described as absurd the board’s request: “Mr Pertab is no longer employed by the corporation and as such he has no obligation to answer any request by the board. He is only obligated to supply the police with the information, if and when the corporation takes firm and decisive action to clean up the sleaze.”
The party argued that since the available evidence was so glaring, it hoped that President Bharrat Jagdeo remembered his promise to stamp out corruption and punished the wrongdoers whoever they were.