The 2021 audit report for Addu City’s Equatorial Hospital has revealed three irregularities in the hospital’s spending.
The report, signed by Auditor General Hussain Niyazy and published last week, identified that the hospital disbursed payments to its landscaping contractor without ensuring that the services were being provided in accordance with the agreement.
The audit report noted that the hospital’s agreement with the landscaping company stipulated that all water bodies in the hospital grounds should be cleaned at least once a month. However, the work was not carried out as mentioned in the agreement. Despite this, MVR 121,264 was disbursed to the landscaping contractor, and recommendations have been made to correct this, the report said.
The audit then highlighted the procurement of a pickup truck for MVR 295,000 in a manner that excluded other potential bidders from participating in the tender process. The Auditor General has recommended rectifying this procurement issue.
The report lastly highlighted discrepancies related to the hospital cleaning agreement. While the agreement states that 47 employees will be involved in the daily sweeping and cleaning of the hospital, the audit found that only an average of 25 employees were actually involved in the work. According to the audit report, that is 22 fewer employees than the agreed number. Despite this, the hospital continued to spend MVR 497,140 every month for the purpose. The Auditor General has recommended that this be corrected.
The audit report has been submitted to the President’s office and Parliament.
Addu Equatorial Hospital
