JEDDAH, 22 March 2005 — Health Affairs investigators from Makkah are still unraveling a web of corruption and fraud at a Jeddah hospital that apparently has diverted millions of riyals from the business of caring for the sick, Al-Madinah daily reported.
In fact, officials themselves are sickened by what may prove to be one of the worst corruption cases on record.
Most of the missing money is believed to have ended up in the pockets of crooked officials through a variety of nonexistent projects, employees and other financial scams.
The first report revealed phony deals, promotions and salaries paid to nonexistent employees. Investigators found there was neither a manager responsible for hospital furniture storage nor a manager for medical equipment storage.
The Health Affairs report also notes insurance was purchased randomly without studying whether the hospital actually needed the coverage, causing the hospital to lose millions of riyals.
Investigators also are probing projects valued at millions of riyals awarded without a bidding process. It appears that money may have gone to the contractors despite the projects never being started. In one instance, a company received an additional SR150,000 though the only thing ever completed was the paperwork.
Investigators were called in when it was discovered that many computers, cell phones, TVs and cameras were provided for several officials at Health Affairs in Jeddah, instead of funds being used to offset huge shortages of needed medical equipment. Officials at the hospital also abused promotions and hiring. There were misuses of power investigators noticed in commissions given to employees that reached up to SR2,700. Investigators also discovered that 30 employees had been sent to work outside the hospital.
Some employees were working in overcrowded departments and colleges. The employee contracts give the ministry the right to transfer employees to other places in which their services are needed.
The misuse of power even reached doctors and hospital workers. Some doctors and technicians were working outside the hospital, and some didn’t do any work inside the hospital. Some doctors also were included in the salary system even though they were not at the hospital.
