Ministry of Health failed to decide on allotments in due time and did not monitor the utilisation of subsidies
Press Release – July 9, 2012
According to the conclusion of an audit performed by the Supreme Audit Office (SAO), the Ministry of Health fell behind the schedule – by several months – when making decisions on subsidies that would be provided for non-governmental non-profit organizations. The auditing operation aimed at funds spent on selected health programmes: the Programme for grants and the Programme for equal opportunities for the disabled in 2010 and 2011.
Both programmes aimed at enhancing the living conditions and quality of lives of the disabled and chronically ill citizens. The programmes were implemented by means of specific projects, which were planned and conducted by non-governmental non-profit organizations, where subsidies were indispensable for carrying on the activities. But for example in 2011, some of the organizations had to wait for the funds till July in spite the fact that according to the schedule, the Ministry should have decided on the subsidies no later than in February.
The Ministry underestimated the importance of monitoring of the supported projects. In 2010 and 2011, 501 projects were implemented in total but the Ministry scrutinized only two of them to monitor the funds’ utilisation, which means that the Ministry monitored only 0.5 % of the total amount of supported projects. In the audit conclusion, the SAO points out that the Ministry is obliged by the law to control the management of the provided state budget funds.
In 2010 and 2011, non-governmental non-profit organizations were provided by funds totalling over CZK 164 million in the frame of the two audited health programmes. In spite of the amount, many projects were rejected as the total requirements almost doubled the programmes’ financial possibilities.
For further details about the auditing operation No. 11/25 (in Czech only), see the following link: http://www.nku.cz/assets/media/informace-11-25.pdf (pdf, 124 kB).
Communication Department
Supreme Audit Office