CCMC asked to take inventory of drugs

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Council has requested Cebu City Medical Center director Gloria Duterte to submit an inventory report of the drugs and medicines, including other supplies of the hospital purchased from January 2012 up to June 30 of this year.

Councilor Lea Ouano-Japson, head of the City Council’s committee on health and hospital services, explained that it is only proper that the city legislators, through her committee, will be informed of the inventory of stocks at the CCMC.

The CCMC has a budget of P80 million only for the drugs and medicines for the entire year operation.

After the Commission on Audit advised Mayor Michael Rama to always conduct physical inventory of the hospital’s stocks of drugs and medicines as one way to ensure that these will not be wasted, he quickly implemented some measures.

The mayor assigned accountant Agnes Tabares at the CCMC to help implement the COA recommendation and also transferred then city treasurer Emma Villarete to head the hospital’s billing section.

The state auditors earlier found out that there was no physical inventory conducted on stocks of medicines and drugs thus the existence and correctness of the Drugs and Medicines Account could not be ascertained.

COA has suggested that the inventory report shall be made and it will be submitted to the resident auditor not later than July 31 and January 31 of each year, for the first and half semesters, respectively.   (FREEMAN)