Health procurement projects put on hold

       All Public Health Ministry procurement projects under the government's stimulus programme have been halted due to corruption allegations.
       Acting permanent secretary for public health Paijit Warachit yesterday shelved all procurement projects for medical equipment and ambulances to be funded under the "Thailand: Investing from Strength to Strength" scheme.
       The order came only a day after he ordered the purchase of UV sanitisers at community hospitals be delayed.
       "All procurement projects have to be deferred for transparency reasons until the two committees have completed their findings," he said.
       "Any procurement project found to have irregularities or to be unnecessary will be cancelled."
       Dr Paijit appointed public health inspector Seri Hongyok to chair a committee investigating the purchase of UV sanitisers.
       Another panel will scrutinise other health related procurement proposals.
       The preliminary findings should be released by Oct 8, Dr Paijit said.
       The freeze came after the Rural Doctors Society revealed irregularities in the planned purchase of equipment at community hospitals. An 86.6 billion baht budget had been allocated for local public health authorities to make the purchases.
       For the first time in several years, the government has allocated a massive budget to the Public Health Ministry.
       The doctors' group said the funding,50 times larger than the annual health budget, could be skimmed by politicians and officials.
       UV sanitisers, for example, had been added to the procurement list for community hospitals without their request.
       The quoted price was 40,000 baht for each machine, compared with a market price of only 6,000 baht.
       Kriangsak Vatcharanukulkiat, director of Phu Kradueng Hospital and president of the Rural Doctors Society, said the plan to purchase flagpoles for small community hospitals should be reviewed as the quoted price of 495,000 baht for each pole was inflated.
       Suppakit Sirilak, director of the ministry's Bureau of Policy and Strategy responsible for projects under the government's stimulus package scheme, said he would seek advice from the Budget Bureau to ensure transparency in the procurement process.