Hospital Rejects Donated Drugs

The Lutheran Hospital in Zorzor, Lofa County in Northwest Liberia has rejected a consignment of drugs donated to it by the Map International over price disparities.

The Administrator of the Lutheran Hospital, Mr. Peter Flomo, told UNMIL Radio’s Coffee Break show Tuesday, June 11, 2013 that a conflict of US$6.8 Million could not be resolved with the Map International after the hospital found that the donated drugs actually valued US$20,000 as opposed to the donor’s public pronouncement.

“Michael Nynford pronounced that the Ministry of Health recorded that hospitals benefited a donation of 13.2m; in that $13.2m, the Lutheran Hospital benefited a little over $6.8m.

We said it was not true; so we could not easily reconcile the value with them because what we actually saw was a worth of US$20,000 dollar drugs,” Mr. Peter Flomo said.

He told the radio that Lutheran Hospital authorities had a meeting with Map International earlier on when they heard the broad cast of the donation with conflicting accounts.

He noted that the Hospital thought it was an oversight or misrepresentation for the donor to have reported the value of US$6.8m, far above the donation value of US$20,000. On 31 May, he said a meeting was held at which time, he said, Map International revealed that the value was American Market value.

“So we said for example, if you were shifting the currency to another currency, say from Euro to US dollar, it would mean changing figure; but the bill of landing came from the same American Market- from you, so you tell us this is the American value,” he argued.

Mr. Flomo said if the Lutheran Hospital accepts the goods, the administration will be responsible to account for $6.8m, when the content of the container did not value that.

“So we have to kindly turn over [the drugs], we thought it was an oversight, so go and clear the statement made on the media; but they didn’t get back to us,” said Flomo.

Mr. Flomo, however, revealed that Map International still insists the actual value is $6.8m. In the wake of the unfolding situation, he said the hospital had not transported the material (drugs) to Zorzor, Lofa County.

“We turned down the offer from Map International because the value of what they gave us was contrary to what we had. We thought it was an oversight or misrepresentation,” he said.

According to him, the container was received through a clearing agent, and was transported to the LCL Compound on 13th Street, Sinkor, where he said, the contents are up to the time he spoke with the radio.

“We are only helping to administer these items. It will put us in a bad situation to administer something whose value is alarming. If I give one cartoon to this institution, how do I value it? Should I value it as one million, for example? So unless they show the way out, we will not accept the donation” said Flomo.

He claimed that in response to his communication, he was written from Ivory Coast by a regional officer, Julius Akim whom, he said, told him that Map International will take delivery of the materials.