Hospital upgrade: Those behind irregularities to be punished, says Shahbaz

CM approves overhead bridge for Khanewal.

LAHORE: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Saturday those responsible for irregularities in the project to upgrade Dera Ghazi Khan District Headquarters Hospital would be punished.

He chaired a meeting through video link in which the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team chairman presented an investigation report about the project.

Sharif ordered that a committee be formed to review the matter.

He noted that the equipment worth Rs700 million, imported for the hospital, had not been used for two years. He said this amounted to a crime against the humanity.

“Why hasn’t the Health Department taken action on departure from PC-I of the project?”

The chief minister said a third-party audit policy had also not happened.

He reprimanded the officers concerned for not responding to the irregularities promptly. He said the Health Department was responsible for the hospital. He directed the chief secretary to submit a report in two weeks about the unused hospital machinery.

Minister for Communication and Works Tanvir Aslam Malik, Adviser to Chief Minister on Health Khwaja Salman Rafiq, health and communication and works secretaries, the Dera Ghazi Khan commissioner and the Dera Ghazi Medical College principal attended the meeting.

Bridge

The chief minister has approved the construction of an overhead bridge to connect Khanewal-Jahanian Road with Lahore Mor (Multan-Khanewal-Lahore) Road.

He will soon inaugurate the Rs660 million project. The Techno Time Company will construct the bridge in a year. With the completion of the project, traffic would be routed through the overhead bridge instead of entering Khanewal.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 31^st, 2015.