Sainiani Boila 
The Fiji COVID-19 preparedness and response plan was not submitted for cabinet endorsement.
This was revealed by Assistant Finance Minister Esrom Immanuel while speaking on the Review of the Auditor General’s report on Compliance Audits relating to COVID-19 response.
Immanuel says the detailed breakdown of budget approved was not provided against which actual expenditure could be compared.
“Expenditures was incurred mostly for operational purposes such as overtime, expenditures were not recorded using a reporting framework that enhances the monitoring and evaluation plan.”
Immanuel says the committee noted governance issues with the Ministry of Health’s Procurement of Biomedical Equipment Quarantine Accommodation Stock Management for COVID19.
Assistant Finance Minister Esrom Immanuel. [Source: Parliament of Fiji/ Facebook]
This includes the absence of the SOP procedures to guide the COVID-19 response and the absence of the reconciliation process between flight manifest and quarantine accommodation listing.
The assistant minister says there is lack of documentary trail between stock card and evidence of items received.
“As at 31st July 2022, it was noted that all the procured biomedical equipment were yet to be received by the Ministry. The Ministry can update parliament on the purchase done and where those biomedical equipment are.”
$100million was committed by the then government for COVID19 responses on July 31st 2020.
