One pharmaceutical company reportedly received $50 million dollars, more than half of an $80-million-dollar allocation for the acquisition of pharmaceuticals by NIPDEC.
This was revealed during testimony before the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee yesterday.
During the session, Committee Chairman Jagdeo Singh questioned Head of Finance and Accounting at NIPDEC, Jabari Cozier, about the payments.
Mr Singh said smaller companies were left waiting months, or even years, for payment on outstanding invoices.
Mr Cozier said they had been instructed by the Ministry of Health under the former administration to prioritise payments to larger suppliers.
The disclosure came as the committee examined the State’s acquisition of pharmaceuticals, including the processes for their importation and approval.
