AG’s Report Expose Treasury, Parliament Goes Through Acid Test

By Shingirai Vambe

The recently published and submitted before the Parliament of Zimbabwe for tabling, 2019 Auditor General’s report open a cane of worms, Post On Sunday reports.

The report has however exposed Zimbabwe finance ministry of overspending and majoring on the minor as it state out a shocking revelation of health delinquency.

In her report, Auditor General, Mildred Chiri pointed out that, Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals Cancelled 1 688 Surgical Operations In One Year, purchasing of vehicles without due processing and registration.

The Auditor General’s office has revealed 1 688 surgical operations where canceled owing to a lack of medical equipment and medication.

Zimbabwe has been failing to reach the required Abuja declaration target of 15% in its annual budget allocation and as a result many faculties had seized to function in government hospitals thus compromising health service delivery.

In her report she also stated that, “The hospital did not have adequate monitors in anaesthetic rooms and recovery areas, with only eight out of 18 stations in use.

Due to financial constraints to re-tool the theatres over the years, most of the equipment broke down and the hospital was unable to provide adequate theatre coverage hence cancellations of theatre cases.

However, during the third quarter of the year, procurement of spare parts which was used to repair the equipment was done which reduced the number of theatre cancellations.

During the year under review the Ministry witnessed two industrial actions by medical personnel in February and December  which contributed to theatre cancellations.

Furthermore, the availability of Anesthetists was also a challenge and this resulted in theatre cancellations.

The other reasons for theatre cancellations were: overbooking of selective cases by surgeons, shortage of material resources, poor preparation of patients, shortage of ICU beds, shortage of equipment such as multi-parameter monitors” Chiri said.

The respond submitted before the auditor was that of shortage of foreign currency and inflation.

The Auditor-General said management should engage the key stakeholders and formulate plans to resolve all the issues noted in relation to limited capacity and shortage of drugs and equipment.

Contacted for comments, several members of Parliament were left without words with the report waiting for the minister to explain how all these stated in the report happened on his watch.

“This is the rot we always talk about in government institutions, lack of transparency, accountability and honesty.

How can we reach the 2030 target if we are failing to deal with issues raised in the report. Zimbabwe is one small country comparing with other nations but the level of corruption is shocking” said business analysts.

In this covid period owing to the report, underhand dealings continue at the expense of masses, people are dying of both covid and hunger as the entire socio-economic circle has been broken, we need a behaviour change they said.

Furthermore, one renowned lawyer, Alex Magaisa in his BSR weekly publication highlighted the importance and good work the AG’s office had done from the previous years, unfortunately this time she had to omit names and companies of individuals that had directly and indirectly benifited from the public funds for reasons best known to her.

The Diamond company, according to the report is said to have paid an unnamed supplier $350.000 of goods that were never supplied, similar to various ministries which bought cars and other materials which were never delivered.

In his report Magaisa brought up an issue of people living with disabilities, their allocated funds had no clear transparent transactions and no one had taken responsibility thereof, while Metbank continue to appear in AG’s report but nothing is happening and the same applies to NSSA.

In his conclusion Magaisa said an Honesty Shop would not survive if its situated at Munhumutapa, Mashonganyika and Parliament building of Zimbabwe.

The report slew a variance and or discrepancy of approximately 7 billion dollars during the year unde review.

Norton Member of Parliament Themba Mliswa told Post On Sunday that the issue of compliance is the problem within government ministries.

“Why should Parliament continue to approve budget when ministries are failing to comply to the public finance management act.

The Public Accounts Committee, through its Chairperson, Brian Dube has resolved to call Permanent Secretaries, Cabinet Ministers and Ministers to come and appear before the committee so that he could read the Riot Act” said Mliswa.

Mliswa also said this would be a good start, since the executive has taken recommendations from Parliament for granted.

“The Executive is good at bullying instead of implementing recommendations from Parliamentary committees and the AG’s offices” he added.

Dzivarasekwa Legislator Edwin Mishoriwa told this publication that government ministries, Public entities are not complying with principles of good public finance management principles as enshrined in chapter 17 of the Constitution and the PFMA 22:19.

“There is no transparency and wasteful tendencies on the part of government which is bringing this economy down” added Mishoriwa.

Meanwhile, the poverty datum line has increased with a small family of 5 now in need of approximately ZWL $40 000 to survive for a month yet majority are earning ZWL $5000 and below.