Health Minister goes back on tenders probe condemnation

By Martin Hellicar

THE HEALTH Minister yesterday blamed an “emotional overload” for his outspoken condemnation of an Attorney-general’s office ruling on the kidney drugs scandal.

On Tuesday, Frixos Savvides had described the ruling as akin to being handed “hot coals.” He said the report – which found there was no criminal case to answer concerning tenders for the supply of Erythropoetine kidney drugs to state stores – prevented him from probing the matter further.

Yesterday, the minister said he agreed with almost all of the report’s findings.

The report’s author, assistant Attorney-general Nicos Charalambous, said Savvides was wrong to think his findings meant the issue would be investigated no further.

“I fully understand the Minister’s sensitivities, but he has misunderstood, ” Charalambous said.

He said his ruling had only concerned one aspect of the Erythropoetine scandal: the procedures followed by the ministry to secure supplies from private companies.

Police were still investigating why hospitals had been allowed to run out of the vital kidney drug, he said.

“The investigation on the other aspect – the most serious one, concerning the shortage of Erythropoetine – is still being carried out by police,” Charalambous said.

The investigation was launched after an uproar over the disappearance of large quantities of the kidney drugs from ministry stores and revelations of huge delays in replacing them.

An earlier investigation by the Auditor-general’s office found the Ministry had been too slow in procuring fresh Erythropoetine stocks, even though it was aware of the urgent need.

Part of the ongoing police probe is looking into information that the drugs found their way to the Nicosia racetrack, where they were allegedly used to dope racehorses.

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