— another resigns, several on station bail

AS investigation widens into discrepancies at the Public Health Ministry’s Materials Management Unit (MMU), one employee has admitted to stealing a quantity of drugs while several others have been placed on station bail.
In a statement on Thursday, Public Health Ministry’s Public Relations Officer, Terrence Esseboom,disclosed that none of the employees who were initially taken into custody and later released has reported for duty.
“They are on strike,” a Materials Management Unit (MMU) official familiar with the incident, said Thursday.
On Wednesday, 15 employees from the MMU Bond at Diamond, East Bank Demerara were arrested following the discovery of medical supplies that were allegedly stolen.
Officials had suspected that drugs were being stolen from the unit but did not have evidence. However, on Wednesday evening, an MMU officer observed drugs stashed inside the toilet of the MMU bond.
The officer did not raise an alarm but informed another trusted colleague and a sting operation was set up.
The MMU officials left the bond but returned later when other MMU employees were about to leave in a bus, then ordered them out and conducted a search, during which the stolen drugs were discovered.
Items stashed included Clozole (an anti-fungal cream used for yeast infection); On Call Plus (used mainly by diabetics to test the blood sugar); Chlorophane (a cough medicine) and Ferrovite (a multivitamin product used to treat or prevent low blood levels of iron and vitamin B12).
The stolen items have been conservatively valued at US$500 (G$100,000).
Since then, one of the employees has admitted to the crime. The investigation has created a massive stir, pushing one female MMU worker to the point of resignation. The female worker, who was among the 15 arrested initially in the drugs probe resigned “with immediate effect” an official has confirmed.
The MMU has been under fire since the commencement of the year. In January, a Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the unauthorised disclosure of information on the procurement of pharmaceuticals at the Public Health Ministry had recommended that there be a major shake-up at the MMU.
The Commission had recommended that the Western Scientific Company Limited be debarred from tendering for contracts, accusing a top official of the company of conspiring with staff of the MMU to gain a competitive advantage over other suppliers.
In the report compiled by Commissioner Winston Cosbert, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Ret’d), and dated December 12, 2016, it was further recommended that the MMU staff be transferred to a department suitable for their qualifications and skills and alternatively be trained in the area of procurement.
Moreover, it was recommended that the Ministry should “immediately” fill the positions at the MMU with personnel who have the requisite qualifications and skills set due to the fact that the department handles multi-million dollar contracts.