Dr. Shirley Owusu Ofori, the CEO of the National Blood Service, is under investigation after being forwarded to the Attorney General’s office by the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament (PAC) for suspected violations of the Public Procurement Act (PPA).
The action is a reaction to revelations in the 2022 Auditor General’s report that showed Dr. Ofori used restricted or single-source tendering without first obtaining Public Procurement Authority permission.
The committee, which was presided over by Ketu North MP James Klutse Avedzi, emphasized that the National Blood Service had failed to carry out a ratification process to receive retroactive approval from the PPA, which would have validated sole-source procurement.
Dr. Ofori notified the committee that a request for retroactive approval had been made and was pending proper action.
The committee did, however, warn of possible sanctions against the CEO commensurate with the sum involved if fast clearance was not obtained.
Simultaneously, the committee referred Dr. Ofori to the office of the Attorney General for possible prosecution.
Mr. Avedzi voiced alarm over a recurring pattern among Ministry of Health organizations, pointing out their propensity to use sole sourcing even in the absence of crises or natural catastrophes.
It has been alleged that certain agencies carried out sole-sourcing deals for up to GH¢3.7 million without following the necessary PPA protocols.
The framework for the procurement of products, works, and services by public entities is established by the Public Procurement Act of 2003 (Act 663) and its corresponding rules.
Limiting the amount of vendors who can submit bids through a procurement process called restricted tendering is usually saved for times of emergency or natural disaster.
