Pharmaceutical services head suspended

Louis Panayides, the head of the pharmaceutical services, has been suspended pending an investigation into allegations, first made by EDEK deputy Marinos Sizopoulos, regarding suspicious procedures in the procurement of medicines and charges that drugs had been purchased at higher prices while better offers were available.

Health Minister Andreas Gavrielides announced that an investigation into the affair had been ordered by the Cabinet.

“An investigator was appointed to look into the reports for possible wrongdoings by the head of the pharmaceutical services, which mainly regarded the violation of rules and procedures for the procurement of medicines,” the minister said.

Reports suggested that in some cases the state paid up 1,000% more for certain medicines. DIKO Limassol deputy and industry pharmacist, Athena Kyriakidou, said it seemed the drugs were being bought from two particular “ghost companies”, which appeared out of nowhere in 2003 and 2004.

Sizopoulos said three specific companies benefited the most from these swift arrangements, where the state negotiated deals directly with the suppliers instead of going through the normal tenders procedures.

Some of the drugs acquired in this manner were later secretly recalled from state hospitals or disappeared, ending up as part of humanitarian aid sent to Third World countries, the deputy said.