Jamaica Observer | Wednesday, January 14, 2026 
Auditor General’s UHWI findings confirm ministerial oversight failure — Dr Dawes

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Dr Alfred Dawes says the Auditor General’s report which flagged the University Hospital of the West Indies for contract procurement breaches and misuse of its tax-exempt status, for the benefit of private companies, costing the country millions, confirms a long-standing pattern of governance failure within the public health system. “For more than a year, I have consistently raised concerns about procurement practices across the Ministry of Health and Wellness and its agencies,” Dr Dawes, who is the Opposition spokesperson on Health and Wellness, said in a statement on Wednesday. “Each time, those warnings were dismissed, and the minister assured the country that systems were sound and functioning properly. The Auditor General has now confirmed that this was simply not true,” he added. Dr Dawes argued that despite repeated public assurances from Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton that procurement rules were being followed, the Auditor General has revealed that hundreds of millions of dollars were committed without even the most basic documentation. “This follows a disturbing and familiar pattern,” Dr Dawes said. “After the Integrity Commission exposed the improper payment of $80 million to Market Me, the minister suddenly spoke about strengthening procurement practices. Months earlier, when a $31 million drill was acquired for Bustamante Hospital for Children, he publicly praised the procurement process. Yet...Read more