HEALTH PS CHALLENGES KAMBWILI

MINISTRY of Health has challenged former information minister Chishimba Kambwili over his allegations that Government procured Toyota Land Cruisers when in fact it was fifty purpose-built ambulances on Mercedez Benz bases furnished with modernized medical equipment and expertise.

Ministry spokesman Maximillian Bweupe said the 50 Mercedez Benz model ambulances come with a five year warranty of the vehicle and medical equipment including specialised training for 200 personnel on the operatives of the equipment and the vehicle. Dr Bweupe said this was a special vehicle particularly structured with high roof and operational area meant to cater for very sophisticated medical equipment “and not simply as being calculated that an ambulance is a Land Cruiser fitted with a stretcher”. He said an ambulance is an advanced medical equipment and a working area for emergencies and mobile health services which is mounted on a mobile platform, onto which these medical equipment should be mounted. He said Government purchased the purpose built ambulance at a unit price of US $288,000 mounted with specialised medical equipment meant to provide mobile emergency health care service by trained staff with use of sophisticated medical equipment mounted on that vehicle. Dr Bweupe said the Government approved the Savenda deal in March 2015 after a transparent bidding process and procurement procedure through the Zambia Public Procurement Agency (ZPPA) who beat 12 other bidders in the tender process. “Yes, in March 2015, the Ministry of Health embarked on a procurement of a total package consisting of 50 purpose built ambulances. This was done in a transparent manner starting with an open international competitive bidding which attracted 13 bidders. “The due process was followed after this including the Ministry of Health institutional ministerial procurement committee approvals, due diligence, technical evaluations and after the lengthy process submission was made to ZPPA and the due process as prescribed by the law was followed throughout this procurement,” he said. He explained that Savenda Limited was awarded the procurement contract at a contract sum of US $11.5m, which amount should not be simply divided by the number of vehicles, but rather must be technically understood to justify the cost. Dr Bweupe said the package awarded to Savenda was for the procurement of a Mercedez Benz base vehicle, as a platform for the modern equipment to be fitted into the 50 units prescribed and provision of spare parts for five years regardless of mileage. He said also included in the package was special training for 100 paramedics, 50 doctors and 50 technical staff to look after the highly advanced medical equipment aboard the ambulance. Among items required to be in the vehicle included an elevating wheeled cot (bed), an auxiliary stretcher, sterile maternity kit, bag-valve-mask resuscitator with reservoir, portable medical oxygen system with a pressure reducing regulator, oxygen supply, a portable suction unit, and infant bulb section for premature babies. He charged that with the 13 bidders, some were way higher than Savenda with the US $12.5m as the highest bidder, while others were US $11.6m, US $11.048m, US $11m, and the lowest which was US $4.2m but were technically non-responsive as they did not meet the assessment of the purpose built ambulances required.