A Papua New Guinea parliamentary committee has been uncovering extensive corruption in the country's public health sector.
Oro Governor Gary Juffa, deputy chairman of the Papua New Guinea parliament's Public Accounts Committee. Photo: RNZ / Johnny Blades
The Public Accounts Committee's inquiry into the procurement, supply and distribution of medicines in PNG began last month.
For weeks the committee, chaired by Sir John Pundari, has been hearing accounts of serious breakdowns in health management systems across PNG.
The sector has been hobbled by corrupt practices and intimidation.
The committee has heard repeated accounts of health officials demanding bribes from companies involved in distribution of medicines.
It sheds some light on why many provincial hospitals, clinics and aid posts in PNG struggle to provide basic medicines and services to citizens.
PNG's new Health Minister Jelta Wong has told media he has written to the Police Commissioner to take action on the committee's findings.
Last month, during the early stages of the inquiry, the committee's deputy chairman, Oro Governor Gary Juffa, grilled top officials in the Health Department over questionable procurement practices.
Mr Juffa took Health Secretary Pascoe Kase to task over the way the department awarded multi-million-dollar contracts to its drug suppliers and logistical distribution companies.
It was highlighted that there was generally no due diligence performed to guarantee the quality of contractors, nor the quality of the drugs supplied under the contract.
The inquiry also revealed that medicine shortage were partly attributed to the awarding of contracts to an uncertified company, Borneo Pharmaceutical Limited.
This was linked to misuse of more than $US46 million of public funds.