Four chiefs in four months while health sector procurement faces delays

The government’s Central Procurement and Supplies Unit (CPSU), one of the most important departments at the Health Ministry, has had four different chiefs since last July as none of those appointed by Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela managed to survive more than a few weeks.

The unit is responsible for all procurements in the Health Ministry, from pills to medical equipment, and its budget runs into hundreds of millions a year.

Sources at the Health Ministry told The Shift that since the new Health Minister’s decision to remove CEO Karl Farrugia, none of his appointees have resisted the pressure.

This unprecedented situation is already being felt in the health service, as the list of out-of-stock medicines is increasing rapidly, while doctors and consultants at Mater Dei are complaining of long delays in delivering critical medical supplies and instruments needed to do their jobs properly.

Last July, after serving as the CPSU’s CEO for over a decade, Karl Farrugia was removed from the post and transferred to a different department at the Health Ministry.

Abela’s selected CEO, Stanley Iles, left the post just a few weeks after his appointment, with sources saying that he could not take “pressure from above”.

Instead of Iles, Abela appointed Ian Ellul as the new chief, an acquaintance from the Medicines Authority. Even Ellul, who holds a PhD from the Faculty of Medicine, could not cope and threw in the towel a few weeks ago.

Minister Abela’s latest selection has turned on Jacqueline Gili, who has years of experience at the Contracts Department and is very close to Labour.

In 2018, Gili hit the headlines when, as a government-appointed member of the Planning Authority, she was flown in by a private jet from Sicily while on holiday to be able to vote for the controversial DB Group project at the former ITS campus in St George’s Bay.

Gili’s extravagant private jet hire cost some €9,000 and was Johann Buttigieg’s idea. Buttigieg was the then PA boss and was implicated in numerous planning scandals.

The Health Minister did not answer questions for an explanation of what was going on at the CPSU.

Doctors have warned of a decaying health system over the past years due to a lack of investment, professional management and political interference.