Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo has come to the fore to slam the former A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) coalition government for its lack of accountability at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) as well as its gross mismanagement of the health care sector.
During his weekly press conference held at the Freedom House today, he highlighted that the former administration failed to conduct audits of GPHC during its 2015 to 2020 tenure.
Jagdeo said, “Do you know that between 2015 to 2020, not a single audit was done for the Georgetown Hospital? That is their legacy.”
The Vice President added that as a result, the management of the GPHC had to recreate the financial statements and solicit vouchers to send to the auditor general’s office for the period 2015 to 2020 so that a proper audit of the institution could be executed.
According to Jagdeo, since assuming office in August 2020, his administration has ensured that the GPHC submitted financial statements up to 2022. Highlighting the former coalition government’s lack of accountability, Jagdeo said, “And so I hope that some of the same people here who are talking nonsense that they will look at that issue”.
Jagdeo also made other revelations regarding happenings in the health sector that the People’s Progressive Party administration was forced to reconcile when it assumed office in August 2020. This included having to destroy approximately $10 billion worth of drugs and medical supplies, the majority of which were already expired. He said, “It took us a while to clear that up and then replenish the stock”. Moreover, he said that a lot of the equipment were not functioning in the labs at the Georgetown Hospital.
In addition, the Infectious Disease Hospital (COVID Hospital) located at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara (ECD), despite large sums of money being spent on it had no beds and no oxygen tanks ready for patients, according to Jagdeo.
He was keen to note that the opposition continues to chide the government for its management of the healthcare sector, but failed to uphold accountability in the five years in which it governed. He urged people to refrain from listening to their heckles but instead look at their track record.
