The Office of the President-elect has expressed concern that services may be disrupted at some hospitals in November.
At a press conference, Spokesperson Mohamed Firuzul said disposable items such as syringes and various chemicals for laboratories are items that need to be stocked and managed regularly at hospitals and health centres or else the services maybe disrupted. He, however, said that the transitional committees have found that many hospitals and health centres have not been managing their stock regularly, as they have not ordered for the necessary items needed for the next six months. He said this would result in a halt in some services by November.
Additionally, Spokesperson Firuzul said that various items and equipment required by hospitals and health centres have not been ordered due to a lack of budget. He also said that special treatment centres at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) are working with foreign companies and hospitals to provide services. As such, he said that the committees have identified USD5.3 million in unpaid bills from a company providing services to some of the centres, adding that most of the bills include the prices of equipment required for the services provided by the IGMH.
Moreover, Spokesperson Firuzul said that the committees have noted that the repairs to the hospital's machinery and other expenses have been halted due to the lack of funds, as the budget only has enough for paying employee salaries for the remainder of the year.