It must have been a real shocker to many when the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) revealed recently that no action can be taken over the 104 defective Covid-19 ventilators meant for Covid-19 patients supplied to the government during the pandemic; all because there was no written agreement between the Health Ministry and Pharmaniaga Logistics Sdn Bhd (PLSB).
In a report published on its website, PAC said that PLSB was also instructed to make advance payments for ventilators following its “existing relationship” with the ministry, despite not having experience and expertise in medical equipment procurement.
According to the same news report, apparently, due to the extraordinary circumstances at that time, all discussions, assessments and decisions related to the procurement of the ventilators had to be conducted through "WhatsApp" owing to the constraints as a result of the (self-imposed) Movement Control Order (MCO).
At the same time, PAC added that it found discrepancies between the statement provided by the ministry and PLSB relating to the warranties for all 136 ventilator units.
Previously, the Auditor's General Report for 2021 had also revealed that only 28 of 136 ventilators produced by PLSB for the Health Ministry from 2020 to 2022 were in working order!
Meanwhile, Malaysiakini had reported on Oct 30 that the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) found several irregularities in government procurements during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, causing massive losses of taxpayers' monies; it had also highlighted the absence of a contractual agreement for the purchase of the 136 ventilators through a local pharmaceutical company.
Apparently, way back in March 25, 2020, at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the newly minted Perikatan Nasional cabinet (headed by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin) was informed about the need for 800 units of ventilators, whereby 300 units were for replacement of existing equipments and the remaining 500 to fulfill new needs.
The Health Ministry’s top management had then asked for assistance from the PLSB to aid the ministry in getting ventilators from manufacturing countries, especially China.
However, upon receipt it was found that only 28 units were usable, 93 unusable and the remaining 15 had to be returned to the overseas manufacturer for replacements; an additional RM3.97mil was then approved for PLSB to upgrade certain ventilators, increasing the cost of the overall procurement of 136 ventilators to a collosal RM24.07mil!
However, as pointed out by the PAC the bottom line is no parties could be held accountable for legal action for the 104 “unusable” ventilators due to the absence of a written agreement between the Health Ministry and PLSB.
No doubt, at this point of time, the brunt of public anger may be directed at those who have been negligent in one way or another in this “scandal”; hence doesn't natural justice dictate that they should be made accountable for the wastage and losses amounting to RM13mil in taxpayers' monies?
But more importantly, while we carry placards and shed tears for the hapless war victims in faraway lands, if this ventilator screw-up hadn't happened, wouldn't we have saved many precious lives in our own country?
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