Audit Flags Unnecessary Expenses at Addu Hospital

An Auditor General’s Office audit of Addu Equatorial Hospital has flagged millions of rufiyaa in unnecessary and questionable expenses between 2022 and 2024.

The audit found that MVR 183.9 million was spent on medical consumables and machinery during the three-year period, with several purchases raising concerns over pricing and procurement.

In one case, 40,000 micropipette tips were priced at MVR 1.765 million, despite the audit estimating their market value at around MVR 34,000.

The hospital also spent MVR 165,000 to rent three rooms that were never used, while MVR 827,860 was spent on designs for a hospital extension and waste-management centre despite neither project having started.

The audit also identified other procurement and contract-management issues, including cases where penalties were not deducted from contractors.

Following the findings, the Anti-Corruption Commission has launched an investigation into the MVR 1.765 million laboratory-consumables purchase.

The Auditor General has called for stronger procurement and financial-management systems at the hospital.