By Earl Moxam, Snr. Gleaner WriterTWO EMPLOYEES of the Kingston and St. Andrew Health Depart-ment have been interdicted, following the disappearance of $7 million in fees collected, mostly for food handler's permits.
Grace Allen-Young, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health, told Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Tuesday that the irregularities occurred over a two-year period.
The problem was highlighted by Auditor-General Adrian Strachan in his last Annual Report to Parliament.
The Committee was told that two members of staff of the Health Department were discovered to be 'creaming off' some of the money collected in various fees over the two-year period.
"It was when the actual checks were done and the receipts were tallied against the actual lodgements that the gaps were found," Mrs. Allen-Young said. The police were subsequently called in and the two persons interdicted.
Catherine Gregory, regional director for the South East Regional Health Authority, outlined to the PAC an elaborate scheme that was hatched by the alleged perpetrators in which they closed the original bank account in the name of the Kingston and St. Andrew Health Department and opened a 'Food Handlers Account', into which the money was deposited.
Robert Martin, deputy financial secretary for the Public Expenditure and Policy Co-ordination Division of the Ministry of Finance, questioned the role of the bank in the matter.
IRREGULARITY
For any public sector account to be opened at a bank, he explained prior permission of the Ministry of Finance was required. That, he said, was not done in this case. The Ministry has again written to all banks, emphasising this position.
The irregularity, which was discovered in 2000, is still being investigated by the police. Since then, about half of the money has been recovered, while the two alleged perpetrators have provided receipts for about $700,000.
Asked whether the bank which was not named was co-operating with the Health Ministry in its attempts to sort out the matter, the Permanent Secretary said the Ministry was not fully satisfied.
The Auditor-General, in his report, revealed several other instances of losses and irregularities in the Health Ministry, including a cash pan containing $29,876 which was reported missing at the Princess Margaret Hospital. The full amount has been repaid by the cashier through salary deductions.
In another instance, a cash pan containing $283,851 was reported missing at the Kingston Public Hospital. The police are investigating the matter and disciplinary measures have been taken in the meantime.
In yet another instance, a cashier assigned to the Spanish Town Hospital was implicated in the loss of $228,239. The cashier was charged and had his services terminated. The money was fully recovered, the PAC heard.
