Supreme Audit Office: State was ill-prepared for pandemic

An inspection by the Supreme Audit Office has concluded that the state was ill prepared for the Covid pandemic and made numerous mistakes in responding to the country‘s needs.

According to the office, the purchases of protective equipment and medical supplies in the first weeks of the epidemic were marked by chaos, with significant differences in the quality and price of products acquired.

The report says that much of the confusion stemmed from the fact that the ministries of health and the interior each had their own purchasing teams, which did not cooperate. The dual approach later also led to chaos and delays in the distribution of protective gear around the country.

Interior Minister Jan Hamáček said in response to the allegations that his ministry had been forced to step in because the Health Ministry had failed in the task of procuring protective gear.

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš countered that the whole world had been caught unprepared for a pandemic of such proportions.