Trudy Simpson, Staff Reporter
Grace Allen-Young, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health. - CARLINGTON WILMOT/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
AT LEAST two Government organisations, Jamaica Customs Department and the Health Ministry, are defending some of their decisions in the wake of findings in a report made by Auditor-General, Adrian Strachan.
The departments say they are making attempts to clean up their books and tighten monitoring and adherence to Government policy.
Responding to the Auditor-General's report which covered activities up to the financial year ending March 2004, the organisations said they have good reasons for instances of unauthorised or excessive employment of workers, as cited in the report.
"We are aware that the staff establishment complement is aged and the population has increased so more people are needed," said Grace Allen-Young, the Health Ministry's permanent secretary last week. She was explaining why the North East Regional Health Authority (NERHA) "undermined budgetary control" by spending $15.3 million for 58 persons who were "engaged to posts that were not on the approved staff complement."
Mr. Strachan added that 547 persons were also hired by the Southern Regional Health Authority at a cost of $219 million. This was also in excess of the approved complement.
Jamaica Customs, which paid $6.7 million to 27 fortnightly workers and temporary paid workers without getting letters of employment, also defended its decision. It said modernisation efforts and staff termination created " a serious staffing crisis" so it was asked to employ persons to temporarily fill various positions.
However, Customs recently told The Gleaner that some existing breaches were rectified. Among them is the National Health Fund's (NHF) acquisition of two 2004 Toyota Landcruiser Prado, which were bought at a cost of for just over $3.6 million each for two vice presidents. The vice-presidents were not entitled to Government owned motor vehicles under the the Government's motor vehicle policy.
