The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Rwanda’s parliament in charge of investigating financial misconduct within public institutions on Monday asked the Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC) to fast-track the recovery of huge sum worth of drugs that were stolen by its employee in 2014.
The report released by Office of the Auditor General (OAG) indicate that between 2014 and 2018, Rwanda has continues not only to incur losses due to the increasing volumes of drugs expiring in Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) storage, but also the institution is responsible for the loss of Frw 370 million (About $411,000 USD) in stolen drugs.
The embezzlement was allegedly carried out by two former employees of RBC who were in charge of the management of drug stocks.
Reports by the Auditor General also indicates that in most cases drugs are ordered without properly determining the quantities needed at a particular time, hence the stockpiling drugs which end up expiring.
There are also gaps in adherence to minimum shelf-life requirements, which requirements should be clearly stipulated in contracts with suppliers, it said.
Currently, Rwanda’s Health Sector remains heavily dependent on increasingly volatile and decreasing external funding.
Latest official reports indicate that external assistance is estimated to be roughly 61% of total public spending on health.
In a move to sustain the achievements, Rwandan officials emphasize to improve efficiency allocation and use of existing resources to improve and sustain financial accessibility and resourcing.
CU/abj/APA