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SOME nursing homes did not get the full subsidy they should have received from the Health Ministry, according to the latest report by the Auditor-General’s Office (AGO).
Of the six nursing homes it checked, five did not get the full sum.
They received around $200,000 less than what was due to them in the first two quarters of the past financial year ended March this year.
This lapse was caused by a glitch in the information system the ministry had installed in May last year at a capital cost of $1.95 million and an average annual recurrent cost of $337,000.
All intermediate and longterm care institutions receiving government subsidies are required to transmit data to the ministry through the system on a quarterly basis. The system would then compute the subsidies.
But a year after the system was implemented, it was still unable to compute the subsidies because of system bugs, said the report.
The ministry informed the AGO that the gap in subsidies would be adjusted when the system bugs are rectified.
The report did not identify the nursing homes.
While most of the homes were getting smaller subsidies than what was due to them, the Auditor-General also noted that all the homes had mishandled government handouts such as GST credits.
Between 2005 and last year, they cashed out $1.19 million on behalf of their patients who were unable to do so themselves.
The money belonged to the patients. But one home treated the money as its revenue while the other five homes used the money to pay for medical treatment or items and charges incurred by the respective patients without their consent.
One home also used the money to buy general supplies and equipment such as shower trolleys, wheelchairs and safety vests for the home.
The Health Ministry said it would remind the nursing homes of their responsibilities to their patients.
There was one case of an “unusual reward” paid by a resident in a welfare home to her lawyer for recovering her landed property and selling it.
The welfare home handled most of the administrative matters relating to the case and a staff member witnessed the signing of the reward.
As the reward was unusually high, about 40 per cent of the property’s selling price, and the resident is under psychiatric treatment, the matter was referred to the police.
Too much food, too much pay
OVER-ORDERING OF MEALS
A CHECK on two Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) camps found 63 instances of excessive meal orders.
The extra meals, between June and August 2008, were covered up by staff managing the cookhouse or by servicemen through falsification of records.
In all, the food wastageamounted to $22,231.
This was due to inadequate controls over meal indents and recording of meal consumption, according to the latest report by the Auditor-General.
Following the findings, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) convened a Higher Board of Inquiry to investigate the matter. The board has recommended tightening controls to ensure accurate and prudent meal orders.
Mindef has also conducted checks at other SAF camps, and taken disciplinary action against personnel involved in the falsification of records.
OVERPAID STAFF
AN OVERSEAS Singapore mission overpaid its staff, amounting to $5,800.
The Auditor-General found 50 instances of overpayment of salaries, bonuses, overtime claims and medical and dental subsidies.
There were six other instances where overtime claims were certified and approved before the overtime occurred.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the Auditor-General it would recover the sum and tighten controls over such payments.
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