A recent audit has revealed that the government suffered a loss of Rs. 13 million after a private company allegedly deleted critical data from the National Medicines Regulatory Authority’s automated system.
The five-year contract, valued at Rs. 29 million, was awarded to the company to digitize the Authority’s data. However, after nearly Rs. 12 million had been paid, key information reportedly vanished from the system, leaving it irrecoverable, the audit notes.
A special committee appointed to investigate confirmed that the lost data could not be retrieved. The report also criticizes the authorities for failing to recover the financial loss or take any action against the company, even five years after the incident.
Health professional associations have condemned the slow pace of investigations, accusing the Ministry of Health of inaction and failing to hold anyone accountable for the data fraud.
by Sujeewa Thathsara 