‘NAB raid requested by NICVD ghost employee’

Hospital management claims it has handed over all required records to anti-graft watchdog

The National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) claimed in a statement on Thursday that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) raided the facility in recent days on the request of Tariq Sheikh, who was a "ghost employee" at the hospital.

Issuing a clarification on accusations levelled against the hospital following the raid by NAB, which maintains its officials "visit[ed]" the hospital to "expedite the [provision] of official records", the NICVD management stated that Sheikh's dismissal was for an internal matter and didn't warrant intrusion by any other institution.

As per the statement, Sheikh had threatened the hospital's director, management and employees of "exercising his influence" for action against the facility.

"We call for stern action against Sheikh, who has been blackmailing the institution (NICVD) for personal gains over the past four years, and not to destroy the institution on behest of such elements," the statement reads.

The NICVD management further clarified that it had handed over all records demanded by the NAB to the anti-graft watchdog multiple times, the receipt of which was confirmed at all instances.

In a statement dated November 3, NAB had accused the Sindh Health Department and NICVD of "not providing relevant information and record to the NAB, Karachi, in spite of various requests." The anti-graft watchdog was particularly referring to the records of funds worth Rs5.15 trillion, which it claimed were provided to the hospital by the provincial health department during the current fiscal year.

However, as per the NICVD's statement, it has received just Rs55 million on account of grants and Zakat during the past five years, besides Rs20 billion in grants by the Sindh government. "[But] some elements are trying to mislead institutions and the public through baseless and fabricated information," the statement reads.

Providing a timeline of NAB inquiries against the facility, the management said the anti-graft watchdog initiated the first probe in 2016 and the inquiry was later referred to the anti-corruption department. However, the department closed the inquiry, which the NAB reopened in September 2018. The raid on October 29 was the third one by the NAB at the hospital, according to the statement.

The NICVD management further maintained in the statement that the hospital operated as an independent body under a board of governors. Refuting allegations of illegal appointments at the healthcare facility, it stated that all postings at the hospital were made on the basis of merit and after the approval of the board of governors.

"It is false that the NICVD has 5,000 employees. It has 3,549 employees across its network of 28 healthcare facilities," it said.

According to them, NAB raiding the hospital last week had also put its staff and their families under severe mental stress.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 6^th, 2020.