THQ Hospital officials held for corruption

Purchase of substandard items at high price investigated

NOORPUR THAL: The anti-corruption authorities have arrested several officials of the Noorpur Thal Tehsil Headquarters Hospital after an inquiry into the purchase of various items at exorbitant rates and use of substandard material in construction work.

Regional Director Anti-Corruption Babar Rehman Waraich had ordered registration of a case against the accused and assigned the investigation to Assistant Director Investigation Mohammad Khurram Anwar.

The decision was taken in view of information that various items acquired for the hospital were bought at higher prices than the market rates and their quality was also substandard. Apart from this, it had been alleged that millions of rupees had been embezzled by using substandard material in the construction of sheds.

The inquiry showed that some doctors of the THQ hospital had misused their powers and committed irregularities, causing loss of millions of rupees to the government.

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The investigation of the case revealed that in 2018 a procurement committee headed by a former medical superintendent of the hospital gave the contract to buy supplies for the hospital in disregard to merit and made purchases on higher prices, as well as of faulty items.

It showed that the doctor in connivance with a bank manager and cashier opened a fake account in the name of Tassawur Abbas and transferred Rs3.896 million from government funds through a fraudulent transaction.

Khushab Assistant Director Investigation Fateh Shaukat arrested former medical officer Dr Aleem Haider, quality assurance officer Dr Adnan Tayeb, pharmacist Fida Hussain, bank branch manager Tanvir Ahmed and cashier Mushtaq Ahmed. Raids were also carried out to arrest other suspects.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 23^rd, 2020.