THE People’s National Party (PNP) is increasing its push for independent State agencies to probe the procurement of the $31-million neurosurgical drill by the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) for Bustamante Hospital for Children.

Over the weekend PNP President Mark Golding, and the party’s spokesman on health Dr Alfred Dawes, continued to demand answers as they reiterated their claim that the drill did not represent value for money and the matter demands a thorough investigation.

Addressing a PNP divisional conference in Bath, St Thomas, on Sunday, Golding charged that on the open market the neurosurgical drill cost one-tenth of what SERHA paid for it.

“The thing mix up, it don’t smell right. There is something rotten in the State of Jamaica and I am calling on the auditor general and the Integrity Commission to look at it and scrutinise it very carefully because the people of Jamaica are suffering in the health care system,” Golding said.

“There are so many pieces of equipment that need repair or to be replaced, and if you are buying equipment at very inflated prices those resources are being misused, misappropriated when they should be available to fix the things that need to be fixed in the hospitals and in the health centres,” added Golding.

“So many people can’t have their elective surgeries done, operating theatres closed, ACs [air conditioning units] not working, elevator not working, CAT scan not available — even at the Bustamante Children’s Hospital, no CAT scan,” added Golding as he repeated the PNP’s mantra that the time has come for a change in Government.

In the meantime Dawes, who is facing the threat of lawsuits for some of his comments about the purchase of the neurosurgical drill, said recent public releases have given him more reason to question the money reportedly paid for it.

In a post to social media Dawes said a release from the company which imported the drill, Medical Technologies Limited, finally provided information on its make and model.

In a media release last week the company said the neurosurgical drill sold to SERHA was a new EM800 series drill and not the EM200 model, and that it participated in a transparent tender process for the procurement of the drill and was successful in its bid.

“My checks saw this drill for no more than $4 million [which is] very far from the $27 million, plus the two-year service contract valued at $4 million, bringing it to a grand total of $31 million,” said Dawes as he challenged anyone to dispute his figures.

“[A sum of] $31 million of taxpayers’ money going into this company for this drill that can be procured for about $3 to $4 million is massive wastage and it demands further investigation as to how that procurement process allowed this to happen,” added Dawes.