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The Ministry of Health misuses Ebola funds - Sierra Leone audit

Xinhua, February 14, 2015 Adjust font size:

Sierra Leone's Audit department has accused the Ministry of health and the National Ebola Response Center of gross misuse of the funds to eradicate the Ebola virus.

According to the report released Friday that money set aside for the purpose of combating the disease "may have been used for unintended purposes, thereby slowing the govermentt's response to eradicate the disease".

The report titled "Audit of the management of the Ebola funds" covers the period from May to October 2014. Almost all institutions involved in the Ebola eradication process were indicted by the report including the government and non state actors.

Among the plethora of revelations made by the Audit service is the Ministry of Health alleged failure to produce any documentation for agreement amounting to 17 billion leones for the purchase of 50 buses and ambulances plus 2.7 billion leones to construct a treatment center in Port Loki in the North of the country.

The report found that, among other things, inadequate control over the disbursement of funds, for instance payments of over 14 billion leones was made from the Emergency Health Funds without any supporting documents. Further payments of about 11 billion leones from this same fund did not have no documents.

Several weaknesses were also found in the payment of incentives to healthcare workers and other supporting staff. About 26 billion leones were made to various hospitals in the country for which returns were not produced to substantiate the execution of the funds.

The report exposed the financial management systems as "fraught with challenges". On the whole billions of leones amounting to millions of dollars were misappropriated, the documents revealed.

This report has sparked a whole lot of discussion in the local media as well as the social media. A civil society activist and official of the Campaign for Good Governance, Velnorra Edwin welcomed the report stating that the report must be followed to its logical conclusion and hoped the culprits will be brought to book.

Meanwhile a government spokesman, Abdulai Barraytay said the government will ensure all those found culpable will be brought to book. He recalled that in his various social mobilization trips in the country, the President had warned all those in charge of Ebola funds to use it "judiciously" describing it "as blood money". He spoke of a number of people in anti Corruption net for misusing Ebola funds. Endi