COA questions MCIAA for medicine purchase

CEBU, Philippines —  The Commission on Audit (COA) has questioned the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) for spending public funds for the purchase of high-blood pressure maintenance medicines of its employees.

This was among the irregular expenditures found by state auditors based on its 2019 audit report.

COA said some medicines, though from their nature are not for emergencies, were purchased in large quantities and the consumption report showed that these were intended mainly for personal use.

The medicines include 2,000 pieces each of Therabloc 50mg, Metoprolol Tartrate 100mg Neobloc, Telmisartan Micardis 40mg, Clonidine 75mg Ritemed, Captopril 25mg (Biopril), and 1,000 pieces of Felodipine 5mg, with a total amount of P144,930.

COA stressed that MCIAA is not totally prohibited from stocking maintenance medicine as, for instance, a passenger or even an employee forgot to bring maintenance medicine and needs to take it while in office or while waiting for the flight.

However, the state audit agency said this may be on a rare occasion basis and stocking in large quantities will already invite concern as the same might have been intended or used for wrong purpose considering the control gaps in the management of drugs and medicines inventory.

“Our examination of the consumption report of the Therabloc 50mg, as sampled item, indeed disclosed signs that such medicines were purchased mainly intended for the employee’s maintenance need as the same were invariably issued to only few of the MCIAA employees,” read the audit report.

COA added that a government agency is only authorized to purchase medicines for emergency purposes but not those medicines intended as maintenance medicines for few employees with high-blood pressure as this is clearly a personal expenditure on their part.

COA has recommended to MCIAA to ensure that the medicines to be purchased are only those intended for public purposes and at reasonable quantities so that expired stocks will be avoided.

The management has expressed agreement with the audit observation and vowed to streamline procurement of medicines. — GAN (FREEMAN)