COA flags DOH over P30-B unobligated, undisbursed COVID-19 funds

The Commission on Audit (COA) has flagged the Department of Health (DOH) over unobligated and undisbursed COVID-19 funds amounting to around P30 billion.

In a 2021 audit report released Monday, state auditors said P97 billion of the COVID-19 funds were obligated while P74.2 billion were disbursed.

COA said this left unobligated allotments at P6,648,559,212 billion and undisbursed obligations at P23,656,185,904.

“Although the utilization of COVID-19 funds posted a high AUI of 93.64 percent, such amount of unobligated allotment is considered substantial enough to affect the level of the DOH’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” it said.

According to COA, of the P6 billion unobligated allotment, P1 billion was considered as continuing appropriations while P5 billion had lapsed at year-end.

Due to this, state auditors recommended the Health Secretary to direct the heads of DOH programs, CHDs, and OUs to address the factors impeding fund utilization and project implementation through a written plan.

Meanwhile, COA also flagged lapses in the distribution and utilization of COVID-19 vaccines, medicines, and supplies.

It said this resulted in a discrepancy between quantities of COVID-19 vaccines issued by the DOH and the quantities received by local government units, wastages and near the expiration of vaccines, improper storage, and low accomplishments of vaccination target.

DOH side

In response, DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire confirmed that the agency received the audit report on July 29 and they were given 60 days to answer the findings.

Vergeire also admitted that fewer people are getting the COVID-19 vaccines this year, that’s why the government is ramping up the vaccination through its PinasLakas campaign.

“We are currently evaluating, pinag-aaralan natin kung ano itong mga findings na ito para makasagot sa taongbayan,” she said in a radio interview.

“Gusto lang nating ipaalala na talagang bumaba naman talaga ang uptick ng pagbabakuna simula ng taong ito kaya po tayo ngayon, we’re trying to ramp up vaccination para magamit natin lahat ng resources na meron tayo na baili sa pera ng gobyerno,” she added.

(We are currently evaluating and studying what these findings are in order to answer them… We just want to remind that vaccination has really decreased this year, that's why we are trying to ramp up vaccination so that we can use all the resources we have bought through government money.) —KBK, GMA News