Auditor General’s UHWI findings confirm ministerial oversight failure — Dr Dawes

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Dr Alfred Dawes says the Auditor General’s report which flagged the University Hospital of the West Indies for contract procurement breaches and misuse of its tax-exempt status, for the benefit of private companies, costing the country millions, confirms a long-standing pattern of governance failure within the public health system.

“For more than a year, I have consistently raised concerns about procurement practices across the Ministry of Health and Wellness and its agencies,” Dr Dawes, who is the Opposition spokesperson on Health and Wellness, said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Each time, those warnings were dismissed, and the minister assured the country that systems were sound and functioning properly. The Auditor General has now confirmed that this was simply not true,” he added.

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Dr Dawes argued that despite repeated public assurances from Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton that procurement rules were being followed, the Auditor General has revealed that hundreds of millions of dollars were committed without even the most basic documentation.

“This follows a disturbing and familiar pattern,” Dr Dawes said. “After the Integrity Commission exposed the improper payment of $80 million to Market Me, the minister suddenly spoke about strengthening procurement practices. Months earlier, when a $31 million drill was acquired for Bustamante Hospital for Children, he publicly praised the procurement process. Yet once again, the Auditor General has uncovered serious breaches occurring under his watch.”

According to Dr Dawes, attempts to deflect responsibility by suggesting that these practices were inherited from previous administrations ring hollow.

“This Government has been in office for nearly a decade, with a parliamentary majority and full control of the public health system. After three consecutive terms, excuses about inherited weaknesses are no longer credible. Responsibility lies squarely with those currently in charge. These are not minor administrative lapses,” Dawes said.

“When procurement systems fail, hospitals go without essential equipment, services deteriorate, healthcare workers are left unsupported, and patients ultimately pay the price. This is how a health system is driven into crisis, not by chance, but by poor governance and failed political oversight,” he added.

Dr Dawes is calling for independent accountability measures, stressing that the public cannot have confidence in internal reviews conducted by the same leadership that presided over the failures.

“A system cannot credibly investigate itself,” he said. “A committee appointed by the minister to examine wrongdoing within a system he oversees is like a man on trial choosing his own jury. Jamaicans deserve independent scrutiny, meaningful reform and accountability that puts patients and public funds first.”