Integrity Commission probing procurement practices at UHWI

KINGSTON, Jamaica—The Integrity Commission (IC) has launched a probe into “specific cases” at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) that were reported by Auditor General Pamela Munroe Ellis in her damning audit report into procurement breaches at Jamaica’s only teaching hospital.Specifically, the audit found that the UHWI routinely allowed private companies to use its tax-exempt status to import goods into the country, resulting in over 20 million in losses.Acting Chief Executive Officer at the UHWI, Eric Hosin, made the disclosure of the IC probe at Tuesday’s meeting of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC).“The team members from the Integrity Commission, which visited the UHWI, have officially sequestered the files related to the misuse of our tax exemption status as well as the procurement files for civil work...,” Hosin told the committee.He also named the four companies that benefited from the hospital's tax-exempt status.