Morris raises alarm over TRHA ambulance procurement 'scandal'

THA Minority Leader Kelvon Morris is calling for the resignation of Secretary of Health, Wellness and Social Protection Dr Faith Brebnor amid concerns over the procurement of new ambulances for the island.

At a news conference at his Scarborough office on June 3, Morris described the Tobago Regional Health Authority (TRHA), under whose ambit the ambulances fell, as “a graveyard,” noting that he would not sit silent while millions of dollars were “unanswered for.”

Morris said there were not only serious concerns over the procurement process, but the performance of the vehicles.

“The contracts were awarded in 2023 and up to now, we cannot see in rotation one of those ambulances, and the one that they attempted to put in rotation could not even go up a hill,” he said.

According to a source, the incident took place approximately three weeks ago during a patient transfer from the Scarborough General Hospital to the Roxborough Hospital. The ambulance could not make it up John Dial hill, resulting in another ambulance having to take over the transfer.

Referring to the matter as “ambulance-gate,” Morris said it was a brazen scandal.

He said in July 2023, the TRHA awarded a contract for 12 ambulances at $5.535 million to a Trinidad-based company. He said at that time, the approved make and model of the vehicle was ISUZU, which was fit for Tobago’s terrain, but instead they received Force Traveller vehicles.

Morris said the Force Traveller sold for around $232,000 online, noting that taxpayers were being charged $1.295 million per unit, plus $244,000 to retrofit each one.

The final cost, he said, increased to over $16 million.

“During the budget debate of 2024 the Chief Secretary stated that they would procure and commission ten ambulances for use by the Tobago Emergency Medical Services department at an estimated cost of $12 million.”

Morris said the procurement must be probed. He said the TRHA had already paid more than $8 million, representing over 50 per cent of the contract’s value, even though less than 50 per cent of the ambulances had been delivered.

He recalled Minority Councillor Petal Benoit asking the health secretary about status of the procurement process for the ambulances and the total expenditure expected to be incurred. He said Brebnor responded that four would have been in operation by November last year. He said, at the time, Brebnor indicated that eight more were also ordered and were expected soon.

Morris said he raised questions in the Assembly Legislature about alleged modifications to the ambulances and the procurement process used to identify the supplier of a contract of over $16 million.

Brebnor replied, "I am not intimately involved in the processes of procurement at the TRHA...That was not part of my business...Legally I am not allowed to be involved in the process at that level."

"So the secretary is saying to me that basically, she washes her hands from this process.”

He said Brebnor could not distance herself from the matter because as secretary, she is responsible for the TRHA.

A THA Health Division statement in December noted it had engaged suppliers to provide four new ambulances to begin the replacement of its fleet.

"The supplier has offered for the Authority’s inspection, 3 of the ambulances. These vehicles have passed all necessary inspections in Trinidad, from both the Ministry of Health, in conformity with the Ambulance Act, and the Ministry of Transportation, in conformity with the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act.

"The TRHA, in accordance with the provisions of its contract reserves the right to inspect the vehicles before accepting their delivery, and in those circumstances both the legal and the operations departments are working with the supplier to confirm and ensure that the specifications outlined in the award are met."

In March, four ambulances were commissioned having been procured by the TRHA at a cost of $1,448,100 per unit, however, only three were added to the fleet as Brebnor said while four arrived at the Scarborough port, “something fell on one,” damaging it.

TRHA CEO Dr Delmon Baker at the commissioning described the four ambulances as state-of-the-art, two-patient ready emergency medical delivery units.

Newsday made several attempts to contact Brebnor, Baker and TRHA chairman Christlyn Moore, but all calls to their mobile phones went unanswered.

When contacted, a customer service representative at the supplier said the owner was not present at the time, and asked Newsday to try again later.