Manager of the National Pharmaceutical Procurement Unit (NPPU) in the Ministry of Health and Sanitation has revealed that the government has to pay seven million United State dollars (US$7M) to the suppliers of the Free Healthcare initiative for the procurement of free medication.
Michael Jack Lansana told Concord Times in an interview that the debt could lead to delay in the delivery of drugs for distribution across the country.
“The initiative was introduced in 2010 as a fulfillment of President Ernest Bai Koroma’s campaign promise in 2007 but the huge debt by the government may derail the programme,” he said.
He however, blamed the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, which allocates funds to ministries, departments and agencies for the delay in the disbursement of the funds, leading to the huge debt profiled.
According to him, despite the challenges of the partial health insurance scheme, major improvements have been registered in the health sector before the outbreak of the Ebola crisis in 2014, and disclosed that the initiative is partly funded by the United Kingdom and United States government through United Nations Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF), which procures some of the drugs and equipment.
Mr. Lansana also raised serious concerned with regards to the apparent violation of its autonomy contrary to what is provided for in the Act that created it.
Source: Concord Times
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