Strengthening Government Control in the Face of the Covid-19 Health Emergency: Strategies of the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic of Peru

20/05/2020
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The Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic of Peru (CGR), as a priority and in a timely manner, created the Emergency Management Group led by its Comptroller General, designing and implementing different strategies such as the "Mega Control Operation - Health Emergency 2020", through which it sets up control actions to the activities of public entities such as regional and local governments, hospitals, national police, among others. This has the goal of guiding and providing the main early warnings in the handling of the emergency, as well as to guide them with the documentation that they should have before any subsequent audit.

The priority component of this Mega Operation is the control strategy for the Covid-19, which comprises 3 objectives:
1. Contribute to strengthening the responsiveness of health services
In relation to the strengthening of health services, the CGR is focusing on the verification of the procurement and distribution of medical equipment and supplies; the verification of implemented medical infrastructure; as well  as  the  procurement  of  hygiene  kits  for  the nstitutions. The health emergency has prompted the creation by the CGR of a permanent audit team in the health sector, which has been supervising and issuing control reports on the procurement of rapid tests for the detection of Covid-19,  conditions  and  equipment  of  hospitals, purchases of materials, among others. The goal is for the population to have access to better health services that will enable them to overcome the pandemic.
2. Provide support in mitigating the social and economic effects of health
emergency
Within the context of the Mega Control Operation - Health Emergency 2020, the CGR is verifying the process of procurement and distribution of basic need products. In addition, it is ascertaining the legality of the actions undertaken within the framework of the law for the payment of subsidies to vulnerable populations. Accordingly, the SAI of Peru has implemented the "Platform for Transparency in Public Management in the Covid-19 Health Emergency". This is a tool for local governments throughout the country to register online the procurement process, the execution of the contract for the registration and delivery of basic family baskets (basic  need  products)  to  vulnerable  populations, contributing to the efficient performance of these processes and guaranteeing the timely use of public funds. In addition, the CGR audits on site the deliveries of the aforementioned baskets in various regions of the country.
The platform has a web version and an app, which can be accessed from anywhere in the country via the Internet. In this way, transparency in accountability is promoted, facilitating the recording of information that makes it possible to follow up on what is procured and delivered to the beneficiaries.
3. Help to implement the containment measures in the context  of the health emergency
This objective allows the SAI of Peru to verify the procurement and distribution of goods within the context   of   epidemiological   surveillance   and investigation of cases of Covid-19, in the country's entities that use public resources, especially in regional and local governments, as well as hospitals. As part of the control actions, the CGR has been accompanying   various   public   entities   in   the procurement processes, with the goal of making them more  transparent  and  acquiring  adequate  and necessary supplies to protect the health of public servants.
 
The 3 above-mentioned objectives have been achieved thanks to a series of actions that the SAI of Peru has carried out, which are set out below:
1. Promotion of a regulatory framework for extraordinary control in the face of emergency
SAI of Peru, has coordinated with the Legislative and Executive powers of the country, with the goal of establishing a legislative framework for simultaneous control in its modality of concurrent control. Thus, the Congress approved Law No. 31016 "Law establishing measures for the deployment of Simultaneous Control during the health emergency caused by Covid-19". This way, the Executive Branch provides the budgetary resources necessary to apply simultaneous control to public resources allocated to the health emergency. In addition, the CGR has issued regulations regarding the mandatory use by local governments of the "Platform for Transparency in Public Management in the Covid-19 Health Emergency to help ensure the proper use and allocation of public assets and resources, and to timely identify situations that may affect such purpose.
2. Protection and strengthening of the institution's Human Talent

The CGR has established a series of internal measures to safeguard the health and well-being of public servants in all lines of work. For this reason, it has established, through Institutional Directives, work-at-distance or teleworking for employees who are in the at-risk groups. Likewise, the SAI of Peru has proceeded to disinfect the offices at its branches throughout the country, and has established biosecurity measures to preserve the health of the staff while they carry out their work both inside and outside the institution. These include: providing personal protection kits (mask, gloves, alcohol, protective eyewear, among other implements depending on the specific task of the employee), as well as taking the temperature of all personnel entering the premises of the institution and establishing distancing measures. Webinars are being held with medical specialists on pandemic issues and a helpline has been set up for any consultations by staff members about healthcare issues.
 
3. Successful communications and promotion of citizen participation
In terms of communication, the SAI has been developing various products such as press releases, communiqués and publications, both on its website and on its official social media accounts and newsletters, with regard to all the actions it has been carrying out in the context of the health emergency, in order to promote its role in tackling the pandemic and to inform the population that the resources of all Peruvians are being monitored.
With regard to citizen participation, the SAI of Peru has been promoting the active participation of the population through its citizen complaints portal, a service aimed at citizens for addressing complaints about alleged irregular acts occurring in a public entity, with regard to the collection, use and endpoint of State resources and assets, as well as compliance with legal regulations.
Likewise, the CGR continues to promote the search engine for audit reports, a platform that allows the citizen to know the results of audits and control activities carried out at various public entities, at the central, regional and local government levels, through a friendly system within the context of the pandemic. Thus, transparency and access to public information is promoted.
(Source: CGR of Peru)
 

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