Minister of health, Kapembwa Simbao has challenged Philips healthcare senior director JJ van Dongen, to thoroughly clarify his accessions that government and Phillips have entered into a 25 million Euro project which is to fund among other things, the installation and maintenance of diagnostic imaging equipment including mobile X-ray, fluoroscopy, ultrasound scanners, operating theatres and dental treatment systems.
Mr. Simbao further charged that government has no idea of any deals between the Republican president, Rupiah Banda and Philips that could have resulted in favoring the company and signing the alleged 25m Euro deal which has lately brought the reputation of his ministry into disrepute.
Responding to kafulafuta member of parliament, George Mpombo’s questioning of government’s decision to award Philips a 25 million euro contract to cover the upgrade and maintenance of equipment in 71 government hospitals nationwide, Mr. Simbao maintained that there is no such deal that the ministry has struck with the said company.
Mr. Simbao reiterated that the only agreement that government has entered into with Philips is a 5 year, 9.7 million euro project to maintain health equipment throughout the country.
956,000 euros, as the first installment for the 5 year project which was signed in February this year, has already been made through a payment that was done on 1st June 2010.
These payments are to be done every six months for the next 5 years.
Meanwhile, Mr. Simbao has called on the media to help exonerate all those who might be innocently implicated in this matter if the issue of this project is not properly handled.
He said that a lot of people might be dragged in the mud for nothing and if the matter is not properly clarified soon enough, Zambians will lose trust and begin to believe the few accessions that are currently going around about a deal that is non existent.
QFM
Simbao, you come out clear yourself and fix the Ministry of Health before you start looking the logs in other people’s eyes. Sha!
One of the Banda boys negotiated on behalf of GRZ, EU is investigation the issue!
The director is talking of the behind the door agreement between him and the president, in case Mr. Simbao was not made aware. As a health minister he should state that the director is lying if he dares. This man is only being honest. The staggering truth is Philips is already being paid without having done any work thus far. I would have thought work should done first before any company is paid but in Zambia it is the other way round
Good Evening
It takes two to tango, so it is not only the Health Care company that has to come out clear on this one. Someone in the government owes the people a big, big explanation…
By the way LT, how about getting yourself a spelling check programme? I can hook you up with mine. I have never heard of anyone “singing an alleged 25m Euro deal”. It must be the most expensive song ever to be recorded! Unless you meant “signing”.
HEALTH minister Kapembwa Simbao yesterday said there is no existing contract between the Zambian government and Philips for the upgrade and maintenance of hospital equipment in 71 districts across the country.
Speaking to journalists in Lusaka after receiving a K90 million donation from Zain Zambia for measles campaign, Simbao said in 2002, the Ministry of Health had a 25 million euro project called Oret where Philips was fully in charge and ended in 2007.
“In 2002 we had a project called the Oret project which Philips were fully in charge, this was to install our theater equipment, x-ray machines and all such things in all our district hospitals, that project ended in 2007,” he claimed.
Simbao said the issue of saying the Zambian government had signed a 25 million euro…
Simbao said what was there was an order of equipment worth 2.5 million yen.
“This money didn’t even touch this country, this money is Japanese money and it was administered in Japan to JICA, if you want to get that fact go to JICA they are here in this country, go and talk to them. JICA carried a tender in Japan and only Japanese companies applied…they were the only ones who could get that money in Japan not in this country, what we did here as Ministry of Health is that we sent our director of planning to go and append a signature to the Memorandum of Understanding,” he said.
Simbao said the 2.5 million yen was meant for equipment purely for UTH.
He said the Japanese company that won the contract was being represented by Specialized Services.
“That’s the only one…
Simbao was hiding something and still!
Um…I can surely smell another scandle in this ministry…between his words simbao is dropping some few hints.
If State House isn’t involved in this why is the President and his henchmen so quite about it?! They are usually quick to respond to so called “rumors,” especially if the originator of such news is Mpombo. But they are unusually quite on this one. Not even the talkative Shikapwasha is talking, which makes me think there is something than meets the eye to this story.
When George Mpombo says that the State House has been turned into a place of “Back Room Deals,” he may be onto something here, considering the conflicting statements from Minister Simbao so far. It indeed seems State House has become govt onto itself, and not simply a branch of govt.
Wait until the next (opposition) govt comes into power and start exposing these shady deals—heads will roll, and deservedly so!
I do agree with you Man of Action. The other day Simbao said there is NO exiting contract apart from the one that EXPIRED but today he says there is one for 9.7 million Euro’s. So meaning the agreement was there but yet denying it. The amount might be different but the FACT is that he was hiding. But why was he hiding? This is how money disappears from the ministry. They take advantage of people not knowing about it and they use it for themselves. There is something fishy here!
THE FACT IS THAT THERE IS A CURRENT AGREEMENT the amount might be different but the agreement is there and it was announced in June.
Simbao is a TRIGLODITE
never should i ever trust this governement
The POST headline reads “Simbao clears contradictions on Philips deal”. Very confusing…
Iwe chi numbala 4 bushe walikwata amano iwe? You know you are LT ati ba LT.
There is a lot that is happening in the Ministry of Health than that meets the eye.
contract was signed in 2002 and renewed this year after being given go ahead by tender board and attorney general. what more do you want. first contract was signed by kashiwa bulaya when RB was in chipata on his farm. Bakaponya
It looks like Lusaka Times is the congregation of the world’s worst spellers! What schools did you lot attend? Have any of you ever heard of a speller? You will find it on most computers, but if yours doesn’t have one, do it the old fashioned way; thumb through a dictionary. But then again, this might be all the evidence one needs about the state of education in this nation. God help us all.
#18 in blogging your mind runs along with you as you write dont need to cross chek what you have written this aint an exam. if i miss out a letter im sure if you have been to sch you gonna be able to understand wat im saying, kaboli wamafi
What is wrong with the government striking a deal with Philips? We need to have those machines running and in good condition everyday, therefore, someone is got to that job. But God forbid if underhand measures are in play to cream off the little resources that tax payers contribute!
This is disgusting, Honourable Simbao. What were you hiding? Can we trust you anymore, honestly?
What else do you blogger s want from Simbao?He has challenged the Philips guy to produce evidence of the 25m euro contract so that this matter is put to rest.Even the dreamer Mpombo should help Philips by producing the contract.Why does Mpombo always talk of things he has no proof about?
Zambia is a free country. If you think Simbao has stolen or is hiding something, please write to the Chief Justice and drag him before a tribunal and call your Philips man as your witness. A government can not spend all its time answering politically motivated rumours being spread by a politically motivated newspaper.
these are real thieves