Minister of health and social services Kalumbi Shangula says the current pharmaceutical procurement system is failing to meet its intended purpose and poses significant risks to the health and lives of many.
The minister yesterday said: “The current procurement system for medicine is not working. If a system is not delivering on what it was established for, then alternatives must be explored.
“For us, the health and lives of Namibians are paramount and should not be compromised.”
Shangula said the ministry has been waiting for tenders to be finalised by the Central Procurement Board of Namibia (CPBN) for far too long.
“This has resulted in a shortage of medicine at our hospitals, healthcare centres and clinics,” he said.
He said these shortages also leave the ministry no choice but to resort to costly, unsustainable and ineffective emergency buy-outs.
Shangula expressed his disappointment over the prioritisation of commercial interests over the well-being of Namibians.
His statement follows another delay in the awarding of a pharmaceutical tender.
On Wednesday, high court judge Shafimana Ueitele issued an interdict in response to concerns raised by businessman Shapwa Kanyama through his company, Africure Pharmaceutical, pending the completion of the review process of the involved tender.
The CPBN is reportedly yet to award tender number G/OAB/CPBN-02/2022 for the supply and delivery of clinical products, after businesswoman Helena Figura, the owner of Taliindje Investment, took legal action against them.
CPBN spokesperson Johanna Kambala confirmed that this tender is still under adjudication.
Figura is demanding that the board implement an order issued by the review panel related to a previous bid cancellation.
In her affidavit, Figura sought a temporary halt to the acceptance, evaluation and awarding of bids, pending the resolution of her demands for the enforcement of the review panel’s previous order issued on 27 March.
In August, The Namibian reported that the Katima Mulilo District Hospital was facing a shortage of medicine.
Former health minister Bernard Haufiku says the CPBN is an impediment and a possible platform for corruption.
“Namibia may have to consider doing away with a centralised procurement system and setting a national standard and procurement protocol with clear deliverables and performance indicators for all state sectors,” he says.
Regarding the contentious Cospharm pharmaceutical tender, Haufiku says the CPBN should flag the company owner’s “manoeuvres”.
“Effectively and without any doubt, this tender has been awarded to the father of this toddler only. Nothing more and nothing less.
“His son’s name only comes in to circumvent current Namibia company and tendering legal requirements for the 51% shares in a company by Namibians.
“This much is clear to all of us. But the Central Procurement Board sees apparently nothing wrong with this,” he says.
The health ministry is also struggling with the supply of condoms, since a tender which was to be awarded to businessman Shapwa Kanyama was cancelled.
CPBN head Amon Ngavetene yesterday said reconsiderations, applications to review, and applications to the High Court cause delays.
“Why people decide to go for reviews or approach the High Court to oppose the awarding of a tender is not about inefficient processes on the part of the board, it mostly amounts to interpretations of the evaluation criteria or certain requirements in the bidding document,” he said.
“It is not about the board being inefficient,” he said.
Ngavete said the board has a serious obligation to the nation.
“People don’t realise how much time and effort we put in . . . And it ends up stuck in court or in review proceedings,” he said.
Ngavetene said bidders who have already been awarded products to supply often want more, “holding the process hostage”.
“It is the most frustrating thing if you run this process from A to Z, but you can’t get anything out of that,” he said.
He said the media often blows procurement issues out of proportion.
“And later on, when we provide clarity, there is no issue,” Ngavetene said.
“We know everything we do is regulated by law and it is open for review,” he said.
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