The first was to result in the purchase of consumables \u2013 disinfectants, six million surgical masks, six million pairs of surgical gloves, six million disposable gloves, three million caps and three million shoe covers.<\/p>
An announcement of launching the procedure<\/a> states that health care institutions had notified the Health Insurance Fund of danger to the regular provision of health care to patients.<\/p> \u201c(\u2026) There is a disruption of delivery of vital consumables by the suppliers with whom [the institutions] have a concluded contract, given that delivery has been suspended until further notice, as a \u2019coronavirus\u2019 epidemic was declared in the territory of PR of China as of December 31, 2019, and so operation was halted and a state of emergency was declared in the regions where the seats and factories of the subcontractors that manufacture the material in question are located,\u201c reads the announcement.<\/p> The second procurement<\/a> was launched the following day, after the Government of Serbia declared COVID-19 an infectious disease. To prevent its spread, the Health Insurance Fund attempted to obtain, among other things, more than 132,000 masks with filters, nearly 33,000 single-use coveralls, more than 23,000 disposable gowns, the same number of protective glasses and a smaller number of face shields.<\/p> Both procurements, with an estimated combined value of more than 1.4 billion dinars or around 12.3 million euros, were to be carried out through negotiation procedure without an invitation for the submission of bids. This type of procedure is reserved for urgent procurements because it entails shorter deadlines.<\/p> Galenika Pharmacia<\/em>, its daughter company Galenika Tehnoplast<\/em> and MBS Tehno<\/em> were set as potential bidders. Oliver Stanisavljevi\u0107<\/strong> is the technical director of Galenika Pharmacia<\/em>, but also the owner of MBS Tehno<\/em>, which he said in a statement to a journalist of the Center for Investigative Journalism of Serbia<\/em> (CINS) was out of operation. Stanisavljevi\u0107 assumes that the Health Insurance Fund planned to invite companies which \u201cit has in its database, which have worked with them (the Fund) in the past, which were their suppliers etc.\u201d<\/p> However, already on March 16, the day after the declaration of the state of emergency, the Fund suspended the procurements. The decisions of this institution read that suspension was preceded by the government\u2019s conclusion labeled as strictly confidential \u2013 Conclusion SP 05 Number: 00-96\/2020-1 of March 15, as regards the coronavirus. (suspension of 1st<\/a> and 2nd pp<\/a>)<\/p> After that, no procurement of this equipment was publicized on the Health Insurance Fund website.<\/p> Nemanja Nenadi\u0107, program director<\/strong> of the Transparency Serbia <\/em>organization, assumes that by that Conclusion the government took a decision that deviated from the general public procurement regime during a state of emergency.<\/p> \u201cI assume that the government decided to carry out procurement in a different way, by not applying the negotiation procedure, but rather by addressing vendors directly and buying the necessary goods from them without applying any further procedures,\u201d Nenadi\u0107 explained to CINS.<\/p> According to the Public Procurement Law, he added, the procurement procedure does not need to be applied if it needs to be carried out for the purpose of protecting citizens\u2019 lives in cases of natural disasters. However, that exception should be interpreted very narrowly and applied only when there is no possibility for carrying out any other procedure without jeopardizing the life of the population, Nenadi\u0107 pointed out.<\/p> He also says that the question is whether it was necessary to suspend the procurement procedure already in progress, and purchase the required goods through a procedure that does not entail the publication of information on the Public Procurement Portal.<\/p> Neither the government nor the Health Insurance Fund answered CINS\u2019 questions about what exactly has been regulated by the government Conclusion and how Serbia is procuring equipment now.<\/p> The only information is coming from officials \u2013 predominantly from Serbian President Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107<\/strong>.<\/p> Touring an equipment storage facility near Stara Pazova some ten days ago, Vu\u010di\u0107 said that 370 million euros had been spent on ventilators and other medical equipment.<\/p> \u201cWhen I listen to the presidents of some big countries that have a population of 300 million or 400 million, According to Official Gazette data, the Health Insurance Fund has since the start of the state of emergency received around 37.6 billion dinars or 320 million euros, on the grounds of use of funds from the current budget reserve. The money was transferred for the purpose of mitigating the consequences of coronavirus, without further explanation as to the specific purpose, and had initially been earmarked for the Republic Directorate for the Property of the Republic of Serbia, the Public Investment Management Office <\/i>and various ministries.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div> when they say: \u2018We\u2019ve delivered three million masks\u2019, well, we\u2019ve transported more than 30 million masks into the country, and have 50 million more purchased. I\u2019m talking about surgical masks, whereas epidemiological ones \u2013 we\u2019ve dragged in roughly 13 million of them. Protective gloves \u2013 around 12 million,\u201d Vu\u010di\u0107 said at the time.<\/p> Suzana Vasiljevi\u0107<\/strong>, an advisor to President Vu\u010di\u0107, in a reply to CINS claims that all ventilators and medical equipment are procured exclusively through the National Health Insurance Fund of the Republic of Serbia. <\/em><\/p> Oliver Stanisavljevi\u0107 partially confirms that, saying that even though procurement was suspended, Galenika Pharmacia <\/em>is currently supplying masks to the Health Insurance Fund, along with \u201c50 different companies [operating] in other areas.\u201d<\/p> \u201cIt (procurement) was suspended due to the state of emergency and other forms of procurement. You see what is happening on television, the government has entered into the manufacture of masks and other protective gear,\u201d Stanisavljevi\u0107 explains.<\/p> Regardless of statements conveyed by the media, Nemanja Nenadi\u0107 says that the main problem is a lack of official information on what has been procured and at what price, and what else needs to be procured:<\/p> \u201cThat is very bad, not just from the standpoint of public procurement transparency and managing taxpayers\u2019 money, but rather it is also very bad from the standpoint of trust between the authorities and citizens. That trust is a requisite for all actions of state bodies in the struggle against the epidemic to be successful,\u201d says Nenadi\u0107.<\/p> Ventilators, the piece of medical equipment extremely needed during the coronavirus pandemic, have long been a topic of public conversation. CINS published an article in mid-March on the official number of ventilators in hospitals<\/a> in Serbia, while later we also checked what condition they are in<\/a>.<\/p> The only public procurement of ventilators the media reported on was called by the Ministry of Health <\/em>on March 11 and just two days later the job went to German-owned Drager Tehnika, <\/em>from which 15 ventilators were purchased.<\/p> Nenadi\u0107 says that this procurement shows it is possible to apply one of the procedures envisaged by the Public Procurement Law and for that to be relatively quick and efficient.<\/p> \u201cThere was competition there, too, and in the end it was paid less than originally planned,\u201d he explains.<\/p> Ventilators were also procured from Chinese company AEONMED, <\/em>which on March 25 announced on its website that over 100 ventilators were on their way to Belgrade.<\/p> \u201cPresident of Serbia Vucic declared the emergency state of Serbia on 15th<\/sup> Mar. He asked for help from China motioned with tears in front of press,\u201d reads the announcement titled \u201cDear Serbia, AEONMED is coming!\u201d<\/p> On the Upitnik <\/em>(Questionnaire<\/em>) show on Radio Television of Serbia, <\/em>Vu\u010di\u0107 said that Serbia had bought more than 2,700 ventilators, of which 573 had already been distributed to hospitals.<\/p> He has so far often pointed out that there is a big fight going on in the world over who will get to buy ventilators, that they are paid \u201cin cash\u201d and that Serbia is procuring them \u201csemi-legally.\u201d<\/p>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.cins.rs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/aleksandar-vu\u010di\u0107--576x324.jpg\")
The Fight for Ventilators<\/strong><\/h2>