White paper on Covid jabs not to find fault, says health minister

The preparation of a white paper on the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines is not to find fault with the previous administration, but to improve the process in the future, says Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa.

Zaliha said the team established to prepare the white paper would look at what could be improved from what was presented by the Public Accounts Committee. 

"... not to look at the mistakes (of the previous government) but to come up with the best way, with more integrity, to ensure that it is also beneficial to the government and so on.

"(Because) we understand that the document (procurement) was done during an emergency, but there may be things we need to focus on," she told reporters in Johor Bahru yesterday.

Asked when the white paper would be tabled in Parliament, the Sekijang MP said it was not yet complete and would be presented to the Cabinet before being tabled in Parliament.

On Feb 8, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was reported as saying that the health ministry would present a white paper on the procurement of vaccines and related costs, which was alleged to be partially non-compliant and signed by the minister without the approval of the attorney-general.

On the Auditor-General's Report on the supply of faulty ventilators during the pandemic which involved a loss of RM13 million, Zaliha said she had sought an explanation from the officials involved.

"(I) have been informed (about this matter). Officials have given me an explanation, we take note (about the ventilators) with other things that were done during the emergency and will see where we can improve," she added. 

The report said that only 28 out of 136 ventilators obtained by the health ministry through the emergency procurement procedure could be used, with the remaining 108 units unsuitable and unsafe for patients.

The report said that the health ministry returned only 15 of them to the manufacturer, while the claim for losses totalling RM13.07 million for the other 93 units could not be carried out as there were no procurement documents between the company and the ministry.