The Commission of Audit carried out a Performance Audit on the medical equipments purchased or disposed by the Health Bureau, which accounts MOP 150,000.00 or more, from year 2000 to year 2004. The main objective is to study whether management of the medical equipments by the Health Bureau is fulfilled appropriately and whether resources are properly utilized. The major findings of the audit are as follows:

. The Health Bureau purchased 4,002 medical equipments from year 2000 to year 2004 with a total amount of MOP 97,163,250.13, of which the medical equipments which cost MOP 150,000.00 or more amount to MOP 57,259,331.10;

. Some sectors do not have thorough plan and considerations on the purchase of medical equipments, consequently equipments fail to duly carry out their major functions ;

. On supervision over the purchase of medical equipments, the Health Bureau does not formulate clear duties and obligations for the “Hospital Development Committee” and the “Assessment & Selection Committee”, consequently these two committees fail to perform their function of supervision assurance;

. The Health Bureau have not paid enough attention to the utilization records of the medical equipments. Of the 56 medical equipments chosen as samples, approximately half of them do not have actual utilization records;

. Archives management of the Health Bureau is unsatisfactory, some files are lost and the records are not in order;

. The Health Bureau do not have written instructions on repair and maintenance of the medical equipments; it also lacks an effective supervision system;

. The Health Bureau have not timely and properly handle the disposal of medical equipments, consequently the residual value of the equipments cannot be brought into use timely and effectively.

. No assessment mechanism is set up for the medical equipments.

Based on the abovementioned findings, the major suggestions from the Commission of Audit are as follows:

. The Health Bureau shall first review its current management system of the medical equipments and set up a set of consistent, coordinated and forward-looking management mechanism so as to ensure full utilization of resources;

. The Health Bureau shall, in accordance with the purposes of overall development of the Macao medical system, make transparent purchase plans and strengthen liaison and communication with all related organizational units. As for the purchase applications, the Health Bureau shall decide the priority of purchases according to their relative importance and supporting reasons;

. The Health Bureau shall set up an effective and dedicated supervision mechanism so as to bring into play the consultative function of the existing “Hospital Development Committee” and “Assessment & Selection Committee”, so as to exercise assessment and control on all purchase applications of medical equipments, and to avoid improper purchases;

. The Health Bureau shall make a model for systematic management of assets so that equipments can be properly managed and utilized in a most effective way.