Region Ten bought face masks for 3000.00 each

–        Procurement Officer’s company was a supplier to the region    –

As auditors are beginning to comb through in detail several purchases made by various Regions
and more in particular under various programmes, a number of red flags have been popping up in
Region Ten.
Several weeks ago, several health care professionals protested, claiming that there were
inadequate PPE’s also demanding risk allowances. However, evidence secured by this media
house, www.aroundtheregions.com shows that millions of dollars were spent on equipment,
medical supplies and other services.
However, raising increased eyebrows are facemasks, which are not the N95 bought from a
prominent stationery store in Georgetown for $3000.00 each. Several thousand of these masks
including N95, PPEs, cleaning supplies and hand sanitizers were bought as well.
Several persons are describing the prices that these and others were bought for as ‘crazy’.
“This needs the police involvement, because what we are seeing is that several face masks were
bought for $3000.00 Guyana dollars each and what is very painful is that these masks were not
the N95 and more so, these persons who were entrusted with the purchases are the very ones who
were quick to encourage and support the nurses protesting. How more wicked can people get,” a
source close to the investigation said.
A government official pointed out that investigation into how several of the regions were
managed may warrant a thorough police investigation, stressing that many spent monies as if it
was theirs. “What we are seeing so far is raising eyebrows and is pointing to several persons as
the question has to be asked as to who really benefited from supplies bought,” the source said.
Further, www.aroundtheregions.com have found that at least two registered businesses belonging
to the Regional Procurement Officer Reyan ‘Randy’ Hall received hundreds of thousands of
dollars in contracts. Ironically, the Procurement Officer who the businesses belong to was the
one who secured the supplies for the region. Many are of the view that the ‘corruption’ network
is significant as several medical supplies purchased for the health department and under the
supervision of the Assistant Environmental Officer, Rhonda Howell cannot be accounted for.
“What we have found is that there were a lot of things bought during the early stages of COVID,
but there are no records to state how these supplies were expended. It seems like these were
taken to persons homes instead of the health facilities and centres originally intended for,” a
source within the health department said.
A health facility official in Region Ten confirmed that they had not received several supplies
claimed to have been given to them. “It was a long time, we kept complaining that we were not
getting stuff and despite they telling us that they sent it we kept reminding them that we never
got several of what was being claimed and the then RHO never did anything about it,” a worker
at one of the health facility in Region Ten said.

Questions are increasing as the stationary supplier that supplied the masks and other PPEs to the
region don't have a track record of supplying medical supplies. There are speculations that the
stationary store was used as a front to execute the sales. Additionally, an official disclosed that
Hall, the Procurement Officer was instructed to hold on some of the purchases that he was
making at the time. However, he went ahead and made the purchases without any involvement
and consultation with those who were supposed to decide.
“What I can tell you is that the REO then Orrin Gordon, knew nothing about some of these
purchases and yes it was raising eyebrows as many of us were very suspicious over the
purchases, but at the time we had a real pandemic on our hands and many persons were desperate
to get these supplies and equipment so little or no questions were asked as to the supplier, price
and quality and it is clear that the procurement officer exploited this loophole,” a source who has
knowledge of the purchases said.