John Rahael: Ambulance contract was not advertised

Health Minister John Rahael yesterday said no advertisements were placed in the media inviting tenders for the supply of 40 ambulances for the Emergency Health Service.

 However, he was confident that TT got the “best price” since the vehicles were purchased through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). They are costing Government $18.5 million. “The procurement of ambulances through the UNDP was approved by Cabinet on September 30, 2003, and publicly announced on that day,” Rahael said in response to a question from Dr Hamza Rafeeq, the United National Congress Member for Caroni Central in the House of Representatives yesterday. The Opposition MP wanted to know whether advertisements were placed for the purchase of the ambulances.

In a supplemental question, Rafeeq asked the Minister if he could assure the national community that the price being paid is the best price since there were no advertisements. Rahael said UNDP has assured the Ministry that it received the best price. “We are satisfied their assurance is good enough.” He could not say if UNDP received a commission for providing the ambulances. In response to an earlier question about the financial arrangements for the purchase, Rahael said the fleet of vehicles is being funded by the Health Ministry through its recurrent expenditure for the financial year ending September 2004.

When Rafeeq sought to ask the Minister about the arrangements for the maintenance of the vehicles, Deputy House Speaker Hedwidge Bereaux informed him that this was not a “proper” supplemental question. Bereaux told the House that question time had ended. Rafeeq’s question about the number of neonatal deaths at Mt Hope Women’s Hospital was deferred for one week.