You are the newly appointed audit manager in charge of the audit of an existing client, PharmaSure (Pty) Ltd, a group of 7 private medical clinics. Although this is the first time that you are involved in this clients audit, it is not your first exposure to a client in the health industry. The reporting deadlines for the audit are fairly tight. Some recent events in the PharmaSure group include the following:

An internal audit division was established during the year, comprising of well-experienced and qualified staff members. The group has established a group of clinics operational in the rural areas. These clinics are audited by another audit firm. Three new directors were appointed during the year. The government recently announced that they would intervene in increases announced by private hospital groups in order to ensure affordable hospital care. The legislation on the pricing of medicine resulted in a significant decrease in profits earned on medicine. The group was involved in the development of PharmaClaims, a system developed to facilitate electronic switching of claims and payments between medical practitioners and medical aid schemes. The system was, however, not completed within the expected time frame, which lead to significant losses to the group, putting strain on their cash flow position. The group is currently involved in two claims against them based on the negligence by their medical staff. The CEO has, however, indicated that they would be fighting these claims.

The following information is a summary of the interim results of PharmaSure (Pty) Ltd:

You commenced your planning for the audit of PharmaSure (Pty) Ltd three months before yearend.

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO:

1.1 List the benefits of proper planning to the audit. (5)

1.2 Discuss, under suitable headings, any aspects that you will consider and procedures that you will perform during the planning stage of the current year audit of PharmaSure (Pty) Ltd. (20)