COA: QC hospital losing millions for maintenance of old CT scan machine

Manila, Philippines - The Quirino Memorial Medical Center (QMMC) has spent more than P19 million for the repair and maintenance of its 12-year-old and already malfunctioning c omputed tomography (CT) scan machine for the past eight years.

In a report, the Commission on Audit (COA) said a three-year agreement entered into by the QMMC with Philips Electronics and Lighting Inc. amounting to P3.8 million for the service maintenance of the apparatus has proven to be a waste of money.

State auditors said the contract with the electronics firm “proved to be unec onomical and barely prevented the malfunctioning of the machine.”

QMMC already spent P19,070,481 for repairs and maintenance from 2003 to 2010, COA said. If the amount spent is to be added to the remaining balance of the preventive maintenance contract of P2,267,019 with Philips Electronics, the COA report said the hospital would have spent P21,337,750 by May 31, 2012.

“The amount could have been added to the cost of purchasing a new machine. According to the head of the Imaging Department the same item if purchased today would cost between P30 million to P40 million,”COA said.