Visit of Health Minister to Material Management Unit Services

On Wednesday January 11, 2017, Minister of Public Health, Hon. Volda Lawrence, visited the Material Management Unit (MMU) and the Central Supply Unit (CSU) in Kingston and interacted with management and staff.

Minister Lawrence was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Trevor Thomas and the Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ms. Colette Adams. Mr. Gregory Richards, Head of Central Supply Unit, gave a brief welcome and in his introduction, gave an overview of the general functions of the Units and defined the roles and duties of members of staff.

The Minister’s visit was primarily for the purpose of meeting the staff and gaining an insight into the functioning of the Procurement Office, the Accounting Department, Stores and General Administration. Further, the Minister wanted to ascertain the Policies guiding these Units, the Line of Authority, the Systems and Procedures and the physical structure.

During the visit, Minister Lawrence thanked the staff for their hard work over the years and encouraged them to have a good work ethic, to demonstrate good interpersonal skills and always to perform at their best. Minister Lawrence also recognized the success of the Ministry’s vaccination coverage in Guyana and singled out the Procurement Section and the medical officers, especially the nurses for their overall contribution towards good service delivery in each region. The Minister also gave staff the opportunity to voice their concerns and entertained suggestions on ways in which the overall management and functioning of the Material Management Unit Services could be improved. The Minister and Technical Team noted all the recommendations.

The Minister, for her part, noted that Technology was not fully utilized in these Units and that proper storage of medical materials and equipment, furnishings and supplies needed to be addressed. Minister Lawrence alluded to the need for a more modern storage facility, which, she stated, would allow for a faster and smoother operation within the Unit.