Court hears Roche Diagnostics met Health Ministry tender requirements

The High Court in Suva heard yesterday that Roche Diagnostics was the recommended supplier for medical laboratory equipment after meeting the requirements set by the Ministry of Health’s tender evaluation committee.

Head Laboratory Superintendent at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital, Ravendra Prasad, gave evidence before Justice Usaia Ratuvili in the health tender trial involving former Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama, former Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and former Health Minister Dr Neil Sharma.

Dr Sharma faces two counts of abuse of office and two counts of breach of trust by a person employed in the public service. Bainimarama faces one count of abuse of office.

Sayed-Khaiyum faces one count of abuse of office and one count of obstructing the course of justice.

While being questioned by Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Laisani Tabuakoro, Mr Prasad said Roche Diagnostics was recommended because it satisfied the technical specifications required by the committee.

He told the court Roche Diagnostics was considered the best among the three suppliers that reached the final stage of evaluation.

Mr Prasad said Hospital Engineering and Consultancy Ltd, also known as Hospineer, was not selected because the machine it proposed was viewed as a closed system, meaning reagents could not easily be sourced from different suppliers.

During cross-examination by defence lawyer Devanesh Sharma, Mr Prasad confirmed he had conducted an audit in 2011 after receiving instructions from the Minister’s Office.

He said he travelled alone to hospitals in Labasa and Lautoka to inspect laboratory equipment and interview staff before preparing his report.

Mr Prasad told the court one of the major concerns identified in the audit involved refurbished medical equipment and expired reagents.

He agreed suppliers responding to a tender were expected to provide new equipment and not refurbished machines.

The witness said refurbished equipment was likely to have more faults than brand-new machines.

He also explained the importance of service contracts, saying repairs to laboratory machines could take months without proper agreements in place.

Mr Prasad further told the court expired reagents were sometimes used in laboratories, but only after strict testing procedures were carried out.

Meanwhile, the court also heard Mr Prasad had recommended in his audit report that only new analysers should be purchased in future because some existing hospital equipment was between 15 and 20 years old.

Under re-examination by prosecutor Tabuakoro, Mr Prasad said Roche Diagnostics had stated in its bidding documents that its system “can be open if required”.

He said the committee understood this to mean the system could operate as an open system, allowing third-party reagents to be used.

The trial continues today at the High Court in Suva.