KUWAIT CITY, Nov 11: The Ministry of Health is preparing for a new round with the judiciary after Dr. Ghanem Al-Hujailan, a consultant of internal and viral diseases at Adan Hospital, filed an official complaint against the former minister of Health, the undersecretary of the Ministry of Health, and others on charges of corruption of the PCR contracts signed during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, reports Al-Seyassah daily.

In a series of "tweets" posted on his Twitter account, Dr. Al-Hujailan said, “To complement the national position, I filed a complaint against the former minister, the undersecretary, and others against the background of corruption in the PCR contracts that showed the use of expired materials. The complaints in previous cases were referred to the Ministers Trial Committee.”

While appreciating the position of the Public Prosecutor, Dr. Al-Hujailan addressed His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmed Al-Nawaf by saying, "Unfortunately, we tried to reach your Highness to present the issue of corruption's appropriation of state funds and other crimes, with proven documents… but you did not respond."

Dr. Al-Hujailan had referred to a number of violations recorded by the Ministry of Health during the COVID-19 crisis.

He affirmed in October that the Cuban team that “came to help” had paid each doctor among its members KD 10,000 per month.

Dr. Hujailan said, “I wish this had ended, but experimental drugs were used on patients… this is something new!”

Concerning the same issue, he revealed that he went to the Public Prosecution and submitted a report to the Attorney General with the documents he had on the COVID-19 related deaths. He said, “Of course it is known who the former minister and his deputy is. I do not neglect the report of the Cuban team, which was a catastrophe, about causing some deaths by using experimental drugs. I will give my testimony once I get summoned. The files of all COVID-19 deaths will be opened soon.”

Pending the results of the investigations that the Public Prosecution will conduct based on the complaint and what it will lead to, sources in the health sector highlighted a report issued by the State Audit Bureau (SAB).

They explained that this report had more than 60 pages filled with abuses by the Ministry of Health in financial contracts and procedures related to medicines and medical equipment. It was recorded that the ministry had contracted with 19 companies to supply urgent medical supplies during the COVID-19 crisis by “direct order” during the months of April and May 2020 without being bound by legal procedures.

The ministry submitted grievances about only 11 contracts, and asked SAB to retract its observations, especially since it came in accordance with article 52 of its law, which deals with suspicions of misappropriation of public money. However, SAB insisted on its remarks, and rejected the ministry's grievances. This prompted the ministry to resort to the “Dispute Resolution” committee to decide on the differences in views between it and SAB.

The sources indicated that the value of the abuses in medicines and medical equipment exceeded KD 500 million.

In addition, MP Dr. Hassan Gohar had revealed in May 2020, during a television interview, that the Ministry of Health had contracted masks worth KD 5 million but the actual value was KD 300,000.