PAC report on ventilator deal raises more questions than answers, says MMA

PETALING JAYA: There should be complete accountability over the lack of documentation in ventilator procurement revealed by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), says the Malaysian Medical Association.

Its president Dr Azizan Abdul Aziz said the PAC report on the management of the Covid-19 pandemic, which included the ventilator issue, raised more questions than answers.

“If Pharmaniaga Logistics Sdn Bhd (PLSB) did not have experience in the procurement of medical equipment, proper documentation should have been insisted upon all the more, for transparency and accountability,” she said.

“How 104 out of 136 ventilators delivered turned out unusable without any party being held accountable demands a thorough explanation,” added Dr Azizan

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She said in a statement on Tuesday (Oct 31) that this issue not only involves a substantial amount of public funds but may also have significantly impacted the management of severe Covid-19 cases in the country.

Furthermore, the lack of documentation on the procurement showed there is an urgent need for robust emergency procurement policies to prevent such matters from recurring, she added.

“The dealings for the procurement of ventilators may have taken place at a most extraordinary time; however, if the usual procurement process was not possible, at the very least, proper documentation should have been insisted upon.

“Documents, including signed documents, could have still been shared via WhatsApp,” she added.

On Monday (Oct 30), the PAC report revealed that deals on the emergency procurement of ventilators during the pandemic had to be done through WhatsApp due to the sheer urgency of the situation and travelling constraints imposed by the movement control order (MCO).

In the report, it said PLSB was directed to make an advance payment for the ventilators owing to its existing relationship with the Health Ministry, despite the company having no experience and expertise in the procurement of such medical equipment.