The Ministry of Health and Culture is the latest Government agency to receive a clean bill of health for its accounts.
External auditors from the Office of the Auditor General recently passed the Ministry’s 12/13 accounts without comment. This is the first time the Ministry has ever received an unqualified audit opinion.
The Ministry’s Chief Officer Jennifer Ahearn noted: “I’m very grateful to our Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Nellie Pouchie for her hard work and the dedication that was required to achieve this unqualified result. She started with ten potential qualification points and worked closely with the Auditor General’s Office to address each one of them so that we reached this fantastic goal”.
“I believe this result is testament to the effectiveness of the policies and procedures that have been put in place by Ms Pouchie and her predecessor Mr Cooper,” Ms Ahearn added.
Ms Pouchie took up her position in late 2013 and hence was responsible for working with the auditors during their visit to the Ministry. She had previously served as Deputy Chief Financial Officer (DCFO) in the Ministry, under the leadership of its former Chief Financial Officer Carrol Cooper.
Explaining that an unqualified audit is something that all accountants work towards, she thanked her team members including Accounts Officer Kiria Bodden and Deputy CFO Donna-Marie Daley-Miller. Mr Cooper said he was also proud of the teams’ commitment to working with auditors.
This work involved taking actions to address issues raised in auditors’ feedback, and included conducting a revaluation of fixed assets to determine actual net worth.
Deputy Governor Franz Manderson said he was very encouraged that the number of agencies receiving unqualified passes continued to grow.
He noted: “I am confident that as we receive more reports from the Auditor General’s office we’ll see more unqualified results being achieved across the Cayman Islands Government. I am also confident that for the first time since the introduction of the Public Management and Finance Law (PMFL), no civil service entity will receive a disclaimer or adverse opinion in respect of their 12/13 accounts.”
Premier and Minister of Health Alden McLaughlin also praised the team for the work that it had done to meet professional standards and to provide value for money to the people of the Cayman Islands.