Male’, Maldives – Executors General, the company which was contracted by the Health Ministry to procure 75 ventilators for the country, in order to be utilized for individuals who require care Covid-19, have delivered 10 of the machines which were ordered.
The Ministry of Health has confirmed that the ventilators are in fact, at Velana International Airport, and will be verified whether they are from the order placed by the state.These ventilators were sent by the company as a replacement of the ventilators previously sent, which the biomedical team declared unfit to be used for the treatment of patients.
This comes after the Minister of Health, Abdulla Ameen previously stating that he still does not believe that the ventilators would not be delivered to the country, following an audit by the Auditor General’s Office, making the ventilators a scandal of their own, putting the Ministry in hot water.
The report highlighted misconduct and corruption, in awarding the contracts to three private companies, one out of which was highlighted the most, being a Dubai based company named Executors General Trading, to procure 75 ventilators at a cost of MVR 34.50 million.
The Health Ministry had previously stated that the contract to Executors General Trading was awarded at the recommendation of World Health Organization (WHO) office in Male’. However, the audit report shows there is no evidence of official communications between WHO and Health Ministry regarding the procurement of ventilators, where in fact, WHO plainly denied any involvement in the recommendation beyond the provision of a contact number.
Despite the ventilators being delivered to the country, the matter continues to be investigated by the police as well as the Anti Corription Commission of Maldives (ACC), as Minister Ameen remains sidelined from his duties and the bit committee members, suspended.
