Auditor General flays health ministry over saliva testing procurement

Auditor General flays health ministry over saliva testing procurement
While today’s report deals with the procurement process, there are wider, unanswered questions around saliva testing in New Zealand. (Image: Pexels)
Pattrick Smellie
Multiple poorly managed conflicts of interest, no formal procurement plan, and a failure to properly appoint a probity auditor are among the failings in the health ministry’s procurement of saliva testing in a report published today by the Office of the Auditor General (OAG).The watchdog makes a number of damning findings and expresses “serious concerns” about the way the ministry conducted the highly controversial $60 million contract to provide saliva testing that was awarded to Asia Pacific Healthcare Group (APHG) in May.Am...

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