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Expired medicine at the government’s procurement unit totalled over €860,000 last year, the Auditor General has found. According to the National Audit Office (NAO) annual report on public accounts for 2016, the stock, valued at €861,860, was not markedExpired medicine totals over €860,000
Expired medicine at the government’s procurement unit totalled over €860,000 last year, the Auditor General has found. According to the National Audit Office (NAO) annual report on public accounts for 2016, the stock, valued at €861,860, was not marked as such by the Central Procurement and Supplies Unit (CPRU). Some of the items had been expired for over five years, the auditors found. The CPRU manages the procurement and supply of materials used across the government’s healthcare services. The NAO said that a “considerable number” of stock items were not identified as expired, despite the fact that management reports to analyse expired stock, as well as items which will expire in the forthcoming three months, are generated on a monthly basis. In an analysis of the final stocktake report, the NAO noted that a list of 29 entries were marked as expired, with the items valued at €325,846. Some medicine had expired in January 2014. The CPRU management also told the NAO that each item has to be analysed on a case-by-case basis and that not all expired stock is disposed of as some items may be earmarked for return to supplier for replacement or credit. The use of expired medicine... Read more