Today we honour those women and men who have survived to tell their stories about domestic violence in Papua New Guinea. Nothing says more about their strength than the photo on the cover of today's Post-Courier. These women have lost eyes, teeth, limbs, and children to violence, but are here to tell us it has to stop.
But today I also received a message forwarded from the Medical Society of PNG that implies these victims will get little relief ion 2014. The most important triage for these women comes from health officers, aid post orderlies, village health volunteers, community health workers and anyone else who can staunch the open wound, apply the tourniquet and offer a shoulder to cry on.
This is what the message said:
Dear Sir
There have been many reports in the daily print media about suspected corruption with regards procurement by the National Department of Health for the medicines and other medical supplies required by the hospital, health centres and aid posts of the country, - including http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20120906/news02.htm “Fake drugs sold widely in PNG”. http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20070419/news02.htm “Fake drugs on the market”
http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20111010/news01.htm “Sweep team eyes Health Dept”
It seems that this year the process will be corrupt once again. Medical supplies procurement is worth up to K100m per year, - so this is no small money we are talking about.
The story of 2014 medical supplies procurement starts on May 6th this year when the Health Dept. put out a request through the Central Supply and Tenders Board (CSTB) for a 3 year contract for procurement of health centre (medical supply) kits by international tender with a closing date of 30.5.2013. The tender request states that suppliers who wish to put in tenders must meet certain standards, ie, have
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->International Standards Organization (ISO9001:2008) for Quality Management System Accreditation of the Tenderer
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Quality assurance covering supply chain, manufacture and delivery of medical supply kits
<!--[if !supportLists]-->· <!--[endif]-->Certification for Good Manufacturing Process (GMP) of the medicines to be supplied and Good Distribution Practice (GDP).
The deadline for tenders was the end of May. However, someone must have realized that the Tenderer who is renowned for giving presents to people in the government procurement system did not have ISO ‘Quality Management System Accreditation”, because at the end of May the CSTB extended the deadline for tenders submission to 20th June. And then on the 6th June, the Secretary for Health announced that the requirement that tenders must have ISO Quality Management System Accreditation was removed.
On the 20th June the CSTB had a meeting which revealed the following tenders submitted:
|
Company |
Tender Bid (Kina) |
ISO Quality Management System Accreditation ? |
|
Sesago Ltd |
111,329,916 |
No |
|
Boucher & Muir Ltd |
108,436,029 |
No |
|
Green Limited |
99,480,703 |
No |
|
Borneo Pacific Pharmaceuticals Ltd |
71,478,316 |
No |
|
International Dispensary Association (IDA) |
51,142,940 |
Yes |
|
Missionpharma/City Pharmacy Limited |
48,028,677 |
Yes |
The CSTB uses a multi parameter method of evaluating tenders; the bidding price is just one of the factors taken into account. Other factors include whether the bidding company “understands the project objectives”, “the methodology and resourcing of the bid” (ie quality medicines will be supplied) and whether the company “supports local industry”. Information is that the CSTB has recommended to government that the K71m bid by Borneo Pacific Pharmaceuticals Ltd be accepted. Search of the PNG Companies office reveals that this company is owned by two Malaysian businessmen.
Research published internationally shows that there have been a lot of substandard and counterfeit drugs brought into PNG in the recent past. In 2011, Nair et al in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences reported that all samples of medicines supplied to PNG from the North China Pharmaceutical Group did not meet quality standards and one sample was clearly counterfeit (ie. a non active substance masquerading as medicine – usually starch or flour). Borneo Pacific Pharmaceuticals gets a lot of its medicines for importing to PNG from the North China Pharmaceutical Group.
A lot of money from overseas development partners assists PNG in the supply and distribution of medicines around the country. Ausaid has supported the Dept of Health with hundreds of millions of kina over the past several years and last year sponsored the distribution of health centre kits to every health facility in the country. This resulted in remote health facilities receiving adequate supplies of medicines for the first time in many years. Ausaid have agreed to distribute medical supplies again in 2014 as long as the tendering process for procurement is transparent and leads to the procurement of quality certified medicines. However, if the successful bidder procures medicines from non-GMP (International Good Manufacturing Process) certified products Ausaid will withdraw its support. Then we will be left with local ‘wantok’ distribution companies sending out low quality and possibly counterfeit medicines to our hospitals and health centres. This will lead to the deaths of many Papua New Guineans and also much disability. We all need say “NO”.
The Medical Society of PNG appeals to the Prime Minister to reject the recommendation from the CSTB in this case, and insist that tenders for the nation’s medicines only be accepted from ISO Quality Management System accredited companies who promise to only supply medicines from GMP accredited manufacturers. Could the leaders of all public spirited organizations please support the Medical Society in the matter
Yours sincerely,
Professor Nakapi Tefuarani Professor Glen Mola
President Treasurer
cc. The Minister for Health
--
Professor Glen Mola FRCOG,FRANZCOG, DPH, OL
Head of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UPNG
Professor Mola is 0ne of the few gynecologists in PNG, specializing in medicine for the most vulnerable half of the population. He is on the front line of protecting women and knows how crucial medical care for them is in a country where mysterious deaths are attributed to witchcraft and STDs leave women infertile and abandoned by their husbands.
Professor Mola writes:
" Our only hope is that O'Neill will stop it before it is gazetted. After all they can steal hundreds of millions from the road construction projects -- why steal K30-40m from the women and children and sick people of the country?
Unfortunately Borneo Pacific Pharmaceuticals have about K30-40m to 'spare' (ie. over the expected K10m profit one can expect for this kind of tender) to buy off almost every body in the Health Dept from the very top (probably Minister down thru Deputy Sec (Corp services)) to every single person in the Medical Supplies branch and still have plenty left over for 'profit'. And they have done this sort of rort before so they are laughing all the way to the bank in KL."
Glen
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