Underscoring the need to stop glaring irregularities in various health sector projects, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Thursday ordered the recovery of close to a million rupees misused by former health minister Dr Naseer Ahmed.
The committee ordered a Rs859,570 amount – withdrawn from the budget allocated to the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) by Dr Ahmed – be recovered from the former minister within a fortnight. Dr Ahmed had allegedly spent the money on fuel and repairs for luxury vehicles. The parliamentary watchdog also directed action against EPI project director Gen (retd) Jehangir Karamat and other concerned officials who allowed such irregularities.
According to government auditors, between July 2005 and February 2008, the then health minister used two Land Cruisers (registration numbers IDE-4684 and X-91-38) and a double cabin pickup (registration number GF-922) besides an officially allocated chauffeur-driven car. The audit revealed Dr Ahmed spent money withdrawn from EPI’s budget for maintenance work on the three vehicles.
Under EPI, children across Pakistan are vaccinated against nine diseases, including polio. The irregularity, which the committee termed the ‘tip of the iceberg’ as far as the misuse of funds is concerned, suggests budgets allocated to such projects are not being fully utilised for their main purpose. Despite billions spent annually, authorities have been unable to eradicate diseases like polio from the country.
Separately, a representative of the finance ministry opposed PAC’s decision to punish EPI officials for the irregularity, arguing that they had no option other than complying with the minister’s orders.
Secretary of the Ministry for Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Fareedullah Khan, however, maintained the programme’s project director was directly responsible for ensuring proper use of funds.
“Officials should show courage and stand up against illegal orders issued by ministers,” said PAC chairman Nadeem Afzal Chan, adding this will not happen as long they are forgiven while only ministers are punished for such actions.
He maintained official vehicles were still being misused despite a car monetisation policy. The committee ordered copies of the decision to be sent to all federal ministers and secretaries with a warning that any such misuse will be dealt with the same way.
‘No vehicles delivered despite payment’
In yet another irregularity in EPI, auditors revealed that the federal EPI cell made a Rs29.2 million advance payment to Unicef for procuring 22 imported vehicles.
“Despite a lapse of seven years, no vehicle has been delivered and the amount has not been recovered either,” said federal audit director general Dr Muhammad Asif.
He requested PAC to hold accountable all officials who made the advance payments to Unicef.
IPC secretary Fareedullah Khan, however, said that government procured vaccines against the advance payments instead – a claim rejected by Auditor General of Pakistan Akhtar Buland Rana.
“We think payments for the vaccines were made separately, since an unspent $1.6 million lies in Unicef accounts,” said Rana.
PAC has referred back the matter to the Departmental Accounts Committee- which comprises auditors and officials of both the concerned and finance ministries – to resolve the dispute.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 7th, 2012.
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