PUBLIC HEALTH MINISTRY TO SET UP PROBE PANEL ON SPENDING

       Moves are afoot to siphon funds from Bt9-bn budget: doctors foundation
       Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai is preparing to set up a fact-finding panel to inspect the ministry's budget spending, following corruption allegations from the Rural Doctors Foundation.
       Witthaya reacted after the foundation claimed yesterday preparations had been made to massively siphon funds from the Bt9.29-billion allocated to the Public Health Ministry under the Thai Khemkhaeng (Invest for Strength) stimulus project.
       "The panel will be set up as soon as possible. I will invite Kriangsak Wacharanukulkiart, head of the Rural Doctors Society to join the panel because he is impartial and has a wide network of doctors in rural areas. He can help us find the truth from his network," Witthaya said.
       He will hold a meeting today to discuss setting up of the panel after his meeting with nationwide provincial public health officials.
       Dr Pongthep Wongwatcharapaibul, secretary-general of the Rural Doctors Foundation, alleged that certain politicians had made preparations to buy unneeded equipment for public hospitals around the country at inflated prices.
       And reference prices for procurements of public hospitals under the project have also been inflated so that the budget could be siphoned from, Pongthep alleged.
       "I will ask provincial public health officials about the budget request and require them to inspect unnecessary budget spending or too high prices of medical tools. Hospitals should buy what they need," said Witthaya.
       The TKK programme is the second stimulus package with a total budget of Bt1.56 trillion.
       The Bt9.29 billion allocation for procurements under the projects of the Public Health Ministry has been approved by the Cabinet.
       Pongthep said the details of the allocation showed irregularities.
       For example, the Cabinet approved the procurement of items not requested by public hospitals,citing
       UV disinfecting machines as an example.
       He said the Cabinet approved the project to buy the UV disinfecting machines for public hospitals nationwide at the price of Bt40,000 per each unit. The overall value of the procurement would be over Bt300 million although the machines were not needed, he said.
       He claimed the machines could be normally bought for Bt6,000 per unit.
       The Cabinet also approved the procurement of respiratory systems at Bt1.2 million per unit, while some hospitals had bought the systems for only Bt500,000 per unit, Pongthep said.
       He added that the Cabinet also approved the construction of living quarters for hospital staff at the rate of Bt9.6 million per a building, while some hospital bid for the construction early this year for only Bt6 million per building.
       "I've checked with hospitals and found that some local politicians met them and asked them to list what they wanted at inflated prices," Pongthep said.
       "This project lacked transparency from the beginning because hospitals were not asked what should or should not be procured and how much the items should be bought for."
       He said compiling of the items to be purchased under the TKK programme was made while the new permanent secretary and director-generals were about to be appointed so "some who want career advancement did it for the politicians".
       Pongthep said Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva should appoint Doctor Banlu Siripanich, a former senior Public Health Ministry official, to investigate the alleged irregularities.
       Pongthep said Banlu should find out who initiated the purchase of UV machines and who compiled the inflated list of reference prices.
       He said the Banlu committee, if appointed, should amend the list of reference prices and should remove unnecessary items from the procurements to save the budget for buying what
       is really needed.
       Banlu once headed a panel, which investigated alleged massive corruption of the procurements of the Public Health Ministry, resulting in the conviction of then public health minister Rakkiart Sukthana, who is now serving his jail term.
       Pongthep said the current case would be similar to the Rakkiart case except the public health minister is now a Democrat Party member. Rakkiart was then a minister in the Social Action Party.