Postimees adds (link in Estonian) that the deficiencies noted cannot be found in the hospitals nearly 100-page-long 2021 financial report, as their publication is not required in that document.
LK Konsultatsioonid, a sworn auditor (Vandeaudiitor) identified infringements of the Public Procurement Act in 2021 relating to the hospitals purchases , totaling €5.051 million: €2,798,000 with companies outside the Tartu University Hospital group; 1,063,000 relating to other healthcare service providers; €595,000 connected with the hospital’s subsidiaries plus €595,000 relating to companies which were outside the hospital’s group of organizations, in a situation where the concluded procurement or framework agreement had ended, Postimees reports.
The National Audit Office (Riigikontroll) may examine further the claims, in addition to the hospital’s governing board and council doing same; Priit Simson, head of communications at the National Audit Office, told Postimees that the office’s assessment of the hospital’s consolidated report will be made public at the end of August, adding that this is not the first time that the audit office had have received information about deficiencies in the organization of public procurement in hospitals.
The National Audit Office has also informed the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Finance about the violations in question via a separate memo.
The original Postimees piece (in Estonian) is here.
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