UBH cancels 21 of 34 tenders

United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) has cancelled 21 out of 34 tenders after some suppliers inflated prices while others failed to meet set standards.

Acting UBH chief executive officer Dr Harrison Rambanepasi said the cancellation of tenders is aimed at ensuring that the health institution gets value for money, citing three reasons over which tenders were cancelled.

“The first one is that we had to align with the Ministry of Health and Child Care policy that surgical and pharmaceutical items have to be procured only from the NatPharm as opposed to private suppliers,” said Dr Rambanepasi.

He said other tenders were cancelled after suppliers did not meet Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) standards while others quoted inflated prices.

The cancelled tenders included those for the supply of electrical items, stationery, furniture, delivery of meat and beef products as well as delivery of fruits, vegetables and groceries.

Others were for the supply of linen and bedding, delivery of x-ray material, delivery of surgical sundries, delivery of theatre equipment, delivery of bandages, gloves, tablets and injectables.

Also cancelled is a tender for the refurbishment of mortuary and kitchen cold rooms, among others.

Government recently took the position that all goods and services with inflated prices and those priced using parallel market rates will not be paid for.

While admitting that the cancellation affected the smooth running of hospitals, the UBH boss said there was no way they were going to accept the tenders, some of which were priced at three times the real value of the goods and services.

He added that genuine suppliers will continue to do business with government.

Parliament last month cancelled a tender for the supply of laptops and desktop computers after the the companies involved - Blinart Investments Private Limited and Mid-End Computers and Hardware – inflated the prices of 79 desktop computers and 173 laptops they were supposed to supply, respectively.

Blinart Investments Private Limited charged US$3 076,61 for each desktop computer while Mid-End Computers and Hardware charged US$9 264,48 per laptop.

Parliament would haver paid a total of US$1 602 755.77 for the gadgets.