The Malaysian Insider – 5 hours agoRELATED CONTENT
- RM1.5 million medicine, equipment stolen from public hospitals
With the help of staff, medicines worth nearly RM1.5 million and equipment were stolen from public hospitals from late 2011 to 2012, the auditor-general (AG) has found.
Citing poor security, the AG Report for 2013 said that medicine stock amounting to RM1.21 million had been stolen from Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL), while stock valued at RM240,000 was taken from Penang Hospital (HPP).
On top of that, 97 assets comprising air-conditioning compressors, syringe pumps, physiologic monitoring systems and pulse oxymeters totalling RM611.922 were also reported as "lost".
The loss of medicines from HKL took place in November 2011 at the stores of the neuroscience pharmacy and the urology and nephrology pharmacy, said the report which was released in Parliament today.
A police report was lodged a month later on December 27.
"Part of the stock valued at RM740,000 had been found in January 2012.
"Investigations by HKL found that the theft was an inside job, by those who have had frequent dealings with staff running the store and (the hospital) was aware of the current weaknesses," the report noted.
The case was written off, while disciplinary action will only be meted out against those responsible after the police completed its investigation into it.
The A-G's report also noted that in December last year, a Shimadzu control panel was stolen from the Radiology room of HKL's image diagnostic department.
The control panel is part of a component of a RM300,000 X-ray machine and the theft rendered the equipment unusable.
On the theft at HPP, the A-G's report noted that 694 units of medicine worth RM242,125 were stolen in February last year.
"A final report on it was issued in July 2013 and is currently waiting for further action by the relevant authorities," it said.
The losses of 97 other assets valued at RM611,922, including RM61,330 air-condition compressors in HKL, were due to lack of security precautions.
In referring to the security reports by the hospital's security department, the hotspots were at the Urology and Nephrology department, Physiotherapy department, the outpatient treatment centre, paediatric institute and forensics institute.
This is due to the lack of durable grilles.
The A-G's report also stated that security at hospitals was not up to mark, where 20.6%, or 52, out of 253 CCTVs units were not functional.
Of the 52 units, 20 were at HKL, 27 at HPP and five at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Sabah.
In its reply, the Health Ministry attributed the theft in HKL to the failure of pharmacy officers and assistant pharmacy officers to hand over the master and spare keys to the main store to their supervisors after working hours.
"HKL suspected the theft was an inside job. The case was initially recommended by the Treasury to be written off and it was done in July 18 this year. But, the security officer had requested a follow-up with the police to get the latest update on its investigations, and to date, there is no feedback from the Dang Wangi district police headquarters," said the report.
Touching on the theft of the control panel, the ministry blamed it on a "faulty door" and the hospital's inability to monitor people's movement.
A control panel from a disused X-ray unit was used to replace the missing component and a show-cause letter had been issued by the Image and Diagnostic Department last July.
For other missing assets such as the air-condition compressors, the Health Ministry said it was due to poor installation and lack of security.
On the CCTVs, the ministry noted that two CCTVs were not working in the premises of HKL because they were located at areas which are currently undergoing upgrading works. The other 18 are now working after being fixed in August.
In HPP and Queen Elizabeth hospital, its CCTVs were not working because the digital video recorders suffered from recurring malfunction. – November 10, 2014.
