The Treasury demands more specificity from Health in the measures on Fundesalud

The Ministry of Health of the Junta de Extremadura already has a plan to correct the deficiencies in the management of Fundesalud, but the regional Intervention demands more specificity to ensure that they are carried out satisfactorily.

The General Intervention of the Board, dependent on the Ministry of Finance, collected last year in its 2020 audit report several irregularities about the Foundation for the training and research of health professionals in Extremadura, Fundesalud. Among them, it stands out that it failed to comply with the formal obligations on the publication of contracts for about 875,000 euros, as well as the payment of clinical trials to health professionals for 754,000 euros without the compatibility authorizations and in some cases through interposed companies.

Once these deficiencies were detected, and given what was considered an insufficient response from Fundesalud, Health was granted three months to present an action plan with corrective measures. That term that ended on January 8, after which the Treasury has prepared an initial evaluation. The General Comptroller of the Board, Elisa Isabel Cortés, has indicated in an appearance in the Assembly of Extremadura that more specificity and a calendar for the application of certain improvements have been requested. A definitive answer is now awaited.

Cortés explained that Health proposes measures in all the detected deficiencies, although in certain cases they are considered unsatisfactory. Regarding the communication of contracts in the transparency portal, the official registry and the Court of Auditors, it is committed to the proper publication from this year and to make known those of the past year, even if it is out of time. Intervention will monitor to verify that this requirement is met, but states that this incident has no longer been detected. Likewise, Fundesalud has improved the documentation that accompanies minor contracts, another of the irregularities that was revealed.

Regarding the payment of clinical trials, Health alleges that a new decree is already underway that will regulate this issue and that it includes a model type of contract to pay compensation to the participants in these studies. Intervention requests more specificity on the date of entry into force, since Fundesalud previously alleged that this new regulation would be approved in 2021 and this has not been the case.

The audit also warned about the non-compliance with the principles of publicity, equality, merit and capacity in the incorporation of workers, with special attention to the phase of personal interviews. The entity undertakes to publish its processes in the Official Gazette of Extremadura, as well as to have a selection procedure manual. But the Intervention demands a more defined calendar, also taking into account that these deficiencies have continued to occur in 2021.

Along with this, the lack of a collective agreement was warned. Health indicated that its processing began in 2020 and that it is expected to have this document this year, but Intervention demands a processing schedule, since it was also intended that it be in 2021. Likewise, the audit indicated that the senior management contract of the manager was not adapted to the regulations. In this case, the Ministry affirms that the deficiency is resolved after the incorporation of a new person in charge of Fundesalud.

Finally, the lack of measures for deficiencies detected in previous years and the absence of communication of the audit report to the governing bodies were also alerted. Health indicates that it will be corrected over time, although in some cases it needs more than a year. Intervention requests that an internal procedure be defined to correct anomalies and a reasonable timetable for its application.