OPR to probe Tobago’s $18m ambulance scandal

One of the Traveller Force ambulances introduced by the Tobago Regional Health Authority. - File photo

THE Office of Procurement Regulation (OPR) has acceded to a request from Minority Leader of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Kelvon Morris to launch an investigation into allegations of ‘irregularity’ into the Tobago Regional Health Authority’s (TRHA) controversial $18 million ambulance procurement.

Both Morris and Innovative Democratic Alliance (IDA) political leader Dr Denise Tsoiafatt Angus have demanded urgent investigations into the supply and delivery of ambulances to the TRHA, which they claim has left the island with a non-functional fleet and an unreliable emergency response system.

Tsoiafatt Angus said the matter also warranted a fraud squad investigation as the ambulances were nothing more than “refurbished panel vans not fit for purpose.”

Morris was informed of the investigation via an e-mail from the OPR.

He was told three officers had been appointed to investigate the matter and he had been given notice to appear in person in the office of the OPR to provide documents, records and a written statement.

Morris reignited public attention to the issue on November 10, after posting a live video showing one of the ambulances parked in bushes near a garage in Calder Hall. He said the vehicle, one of 12 purchased in 2023 from Biomedical Technologies Ltd (BMT), was non-functional, adding that none of the 12 were operational despite each costing approximately $1.5 million.

“These ambulances cost the people of Tobago over $1.5 million each, yet not one is fit for use,” Morris said. “When you go online, you can find the same brand being sold for about TT$200,000. Meanwhile, the TRHA rejected brand-name ambulances priced at $700,000 that were tried, tested, and reliable.”

He accused officials of ignoring better, cheaper options and instead choosing a supplier with “no prior experience in supplying ambulances,” suggesting that the process was tainted.

“This is a classic case of someone wanting to ‘eat a food’ at the expense of Tobagonians,” he said.

Morris added that while Tobago paid millions for the faulty vehicles, the island continued to spend heavily on leasing ambulances from Trinidad.

“We have spent over $25 million between these non-functional units and the leasing of two ambulances from Universal Services at a cost of $7 million, and still we cannot provide proper emergency response to the people of Tobago.”

He said the situation became dire during Tobago’s October Carnival celebrations, when two additional ambulances had to be brought from Trinidad to supplement the limited fleet.

Apart from the OPR probe, Morris has called for both the TRHA board and THA Secretary of Health, Wellness and Social Protection, Dr Faith Brebnor to resign.

“The secretary has a fiduciary duty to protect the people’s money. She has failed to do that and should resign,” Morris said.

Morris first raised the matter in June and lodged formal complaints with then acting Commissioner of Police Junior Benjamin and the Anti-Corruption Investigation Bureau (ACIB), urging a criminal probe.

Benjamin confirmed to Newsday on November 10, that he had referred the complaint for investigation but said he is no longer in the Commissioner’s seat and could not provide an update.

Tsoiafatt Angus described the situation as “a fiasco” and “the biggest scandal Tobago has ever seen.”

She said the ambulances purchased from India were “refurbished panel vans” that had to be extensively modified to meet basic requirements for emergency medical use.

“They were stick-shift, not air-conditioned, and had to be retrofitted at a cost of $100,000 each to add things like an extra door and proper stretchers. Even after all that, they still weren’t roadworthy.

"They stalled on Tobago’s hilly terrain, the doors would fly open, and they were so heavy and cumbersome they couldn’t access some areas where older ambulances could go.”

She said the vehicles also had a lower weight capacity than previous models – unable to carry more than 280 pounds – and many drivers had refused to operate them because they were unsafe.

Angus added that most of the vehicles had never been seen in Tobago.

“You can’t find 12 ambulances in Tobago. The bulk of them are still in Trinidad being retrofitted for over a year.

"Nobody knows what’s going on there. Every time they bring one to Tobago, it breaks down and is sent back to Trinidad.”

She said while TRHA officials, including chairman Christlyn Moore and CEO Dr Delmon Baker, previously assured the public that the ambulances were under a three-year warranty and could be returned if found defective, “it begs the question – why wait this long when these ambulances have been problematic from the very beginning?”

“The cost to date, including purchase, retrofitting, and leasing replacements, is between $25 and $30 million – and counting,” Angus said.

“The OPR should investigate, but if their time frame to act has expired, then the Fraud Squad must step in.”

Morris and Angus both say the people of Tobago are the ones paying the price for the TRHA’s missteps, with residents facing long waits for emergency response. Angus recalled being called to assist a patient who suffered a stroke after waiting more than an hour for an ambulance to arrive.

Efforts to contact THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine were unsuccessful.

Dr Brebnor, when contacted by Newsday, asked that questions be sent via WhatsApp. The message was sent, but no response had been received up to press time.