Pims learns nothing from Hajj scam

Pims administration flouting criteria and merit in selecting staff for Hajj mission.

ISLAMABAD: While the Hajj scam continues to make news in the country Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, the country’s only premier referral hospital seems to be untouched by the implications of its decision in selecting doctors for Hajj medical mission. Like last year, Pims administration has picked some “blue-eyed staffers” for this year’s Hajj medical mission, it has been learnt.

An official told The Express Tribune that the administration ignored the merit and nominated staffers who did not fulfil the required criteria of the positions. “Nepotism” again came in to play when the Ministry of Health directed the hospital administration to give a list of staffers who were going to be sent to Hajj to provide health cover to Pakistani pilgrims.

According to documents available with The Express Tribune, last year Fakhruddin, a darkroom assistant, was sent on Hajj mission to serve as an X-Ray technician. His position was changed by the hospital administration and was shown as an X-Ray technician in the list sent to the health ministry, the documents revealed.

This year, Hameed Khan has been selected for the Hajj mission who is much below in the seniority list. Furthermore, Mohammad Tahir Mehmood, a grade-12 radiographer, who does not meet the relevant criteria, has been selected for the mission. According to sources in the hospital one of his close relatives is on a high position in the accounts department of the hospital.

One of the operation theatre (OT) technicians whose name was on the list for several years was not selected even once. He was told each time that he would be selected for the next year, but this year his name was dropped because he is two months overage now.

An official requesting not to be named, said when the hospital administration receives the request letter from the Ministry of Health for selecting the doctors and paramedical staff for the required positions, “the game of forwarding the names of favoured candidates and promoting certain individuals over others begins.

“They sometimes change the actual designation of the staffer in the list that is forwarded  to the top management of the hospital,” he said.

In this process no criteria or merit is followed, he added. A senior professor of the hospital added that there are some doctors who had been sent on the mission twice or thrice and did not fulfil the criteria. Quoting an example, he said there is one doctor in pharmacy department who has been sent thrice on the Hajj mission. Besides this, people from administration departments are also sent on Hajj mission after being shown as medical staff.

“No one is there to ensure the transparency and the higher management is also helpless in front of strong references,” he said. Dr Jahanzeb Aurakzai, Joint Executive Director of Pims, while denying the allegations said all the selections for the Hajj Mission are being done on merit.

“We select staff on seniority basis and the only those who have not been sent before are selected every year,” he said.

Dr Aurakzai added the selection committee strictly follows the rules and regulations for the selection and ensure complete transparency.