- The Denial: The North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA) has rejected social media claims that sanitary bins were removed from its facilities due to an alleged $14 million debt owed to Rentokil.
- New Provider: The authority stated it replaced Rentokil with a more cost-effective provider after 10 years of unresolved service quality issues and the absence of a formal contract.
- Financial Audit: While acknowledging it inherited unpaid bills from the previous administration, the NCRHA said the $14 million figure is unsubstantiated and an audit is currently underway.
- Legal Warning: The authority warned it may take action against the continued spread of ‘false and defamatory allegations.’
The North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA) has denied social media claims that sanitary bins were removed from its medical facilities due to an alleged $14 million debt owed to pest control and hygiene firm Rentokil.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the authority described the online rumours as “false and deliberately misleading,” clarifying that the change in hygiene providers was instead the result of poor service delivery and cost-cutting measures.
According to the NCRHA, Rentokil had provided services to the authority for roughly 10 years under the previous administration without a formal contract. During that decade, long-standing concerns regarding the quality, consistency and effectiveness of the company’s services went unresolved, the statement said.
Asserting that the service “fell short of the standards expected within public healthcare institutions,” the NCRHA said it had recently hired a new contractor capable of delivering the required services at a “significantly lower cost to taxpayers.”
Addressing the financial allegations, the authority admitted that it had inherited outstanding obligations to Rentokil from the previous administration, but dismissed the reported $14 million figure as “unsubstantiated.”
“The alleged $14 million debt is unsubstantiated and does not reflect the Authority’s current financial records,” the NCRHA stated, adding that a financial reconciliation exercise is currently underway to verify and settle any legitimate unpaid bills.
The health authority also condemned what it called the “deliberate circulation of fabricated information” aimed at misleading the public and undermining efforts to improve healthcare delivery.
Officials warned that the continued spread of “false and defamatory allegations will not be taken lightly,” noting that the NCRHA reserves the right to pursue appropriate legal action where warranted.
