TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras,
July 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --
President Hernandez reacted to the irregularities found during
process for purchasing seven mobile hospitals for attending the
pandemic emergency in Honduras, a
case that is currently under investigation of the corresponding
authorities. "We will not allow anyone to mess around with the
health and wellbeing of the people. I am being loud and clear: to
all public officials or businesses that pretend to take advantage
of the emergency by abusing this tragedy, my government will not
tolerate such acts and we will make sure that if it happens,
justice will be served at a court of law," emphasized the President
of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernández.
Mobile hospitals became an option for many countries since they
come fully equipped with components that were scarce in the
international market, such as clinics, laboratories, intensive care
rooms and respirators, and protective gear for front-liners, among
others. However, the supplier for Honduras case did not comply with the delivery
due date and there are doubts about the documentation presented by
the provider company. As a consequence, President Hernández has
requested to the Prosecutor General Office to open an investigation
to get to the bottom of the matter to defend and protect the
interest of Honduran people.
"It doesn't matter if it is a national or a foreign company,
either they deliver what was paid for or we are going to go to the
last consequences to recover legally the money that was paid for
the mobile hospitals," stated the President.
He recalled that the government approved a series of provisions
and regulations to face COVID-19 in the national
territory. "Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have made
enormous efforts to acquire medicines and medical supplies to fight
the disease, in the middle of a complex situation in which the
richest countries have faster and easier access to get supplies in
a market full of speculations and conflicts among companies that
want to become suppliers of the needed good and services,"
President Hernández said. "We warned that we aren't going to
tolerate mismanagement in the face of the crisis, and everyone is
accountable before the law for their own actions, we all have to be
accountable for every penny, this applies not only to nationals but
to foreigners as well."
President Hernández reiterated once again his commitment to
fight corruption and impunity, so transparency prevails.
To guarantee transparency in procurement processes, from the
beginning of the health crisis the government invited
non-governmental organizations such as Transparency International,
National Convergence Forum (FONAC) and FOPRIDEH, to contribute as
observers of all the different processes with the purpose of
maintaining a sound effective system of national and international
oversight.
Last April, the President of Honduras was forceful when he publicly stated
that, in the urgency to obtain medicine and medical supplies to
face the pandemic, accountability and transparency are mandatory
and a top priority.
For more information go
to: https://presidencia.gob.hn/index.php/sala-de-prensa
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SOURCE The Government of the Republic of Honduras