Egypt’s Ministry of Finance has offered payment facilities to all public entities requesting medical supply through the Egyptian Authority for Unified Procurement, Medical Supply and Technology Management (AUPP) and the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA).
The ministry’s move comes as part of the Egyptian government’s efforts to confront the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and to ensure that the full needs of the country’s health care system are met.
The AUPP is the exclusive authority to carry out purchase transactions of pharmaceutical products and medical equipment on behalf of all governmental and public entities in Egypt. UAPP receives a fee up to 7% of the value of the procured products from the requesting governmental and public entities (Requesting Entities) in consideration of the procurement services it provides thereto.
Emad Awad, Head of the Ministry of Finance’s Accounts and Financial Directorates sector, said that the new instructions were agreed upon with the EDA and the Ministry of Health.
They aim to ensure the speedy payment of dues to medical sector suppliers. They also come in addition to the tightening of controls on public spending directed to finance medical supplies.
Awad said that the instructions have defined two mechanisms for payment: the first is concerned with medical equipment which have already been supplied. This will start with the Requesting Entity submitting online a purchase request on the AUPP’s website, should it falls within the limits of financial appropriations allocated to this entity in the state’s general budget.
Each Requesting Entity will then immediately prepare and collect procurement receipt confirmations of the medical supplies and medicines it received from the AUPP. These confirmations will be sent to the Treasury Single Account (TSA) unit at the Finance Ministry for review with the AUPP during the first week of each month.
Awad added that the second mechanism is concerned with new requests. It begins also with the online submission of a purchase request on the AUPP’s website. The Requesting Entity can then pay all or part of the proposed down payment. The dues settlement will take place after the items are supplied.
