According to the Auditor-General report, as of November 28, 2022, 26 ambulances for COVID-19 had not yet been delivered.
The ambulances, worth US$4,049,460.12, were supposed to be delivered by January 15, 2022, however they were delayed because of various technical issues.
“We took note of the Ministry’s entry into a contract for the supply of 26 Toyota Hiace Deluxe Ambulances valued at US$4,049,460.12 signed on December 15, 2021, of which US$607,419 was paid via PV No. IPF 22-007 dated September 2, 2022, and is due to be delivered on January 15, 2022.
The ambulances, however, were still undeliverable as of November 28, 2022, according to the report on the audit of COVID-19 government expenditure for the months of March 2020 to June 2022.
It added also that “The Chief Director explained that the supplier applied for an extension to meet some technical specifications.”
The Auditor-General also stated the delay in the delivery can lead to incurring additional costs due to the current economic conditions.
“Under the current economic difficulties, the supplier could apply for price variation to unduly increase the cost of the contract which could have been avoided if the ambulances had been supplied as scheduled,” it added.
However, the contract has been extended to March 2023.
“Management has indicated that upon technical inspection by the World Bank, additional specifications have been recommended and the contract has, therefore, been extended to March 2023,” the report indicated.
The A-G recommended that the Chief Director should ensure that the ambulances are delivered no further than the extended date of March 2023.
