Administrative troubles plague JPMC

Sanitation in-charge accused of torturing, threatening fellow staffer refuses to leave his post

KARACHI:

As the fourth wave of the pandemic sweeps across the country, Karachi's largest government hospital, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), deals with administrative troubles.

Its administrative deputy director claims threats to safety while its dismissed sanitation in-charge refuses to leave his post. An attack and a transfer Flouting the directives of the Sindh health department, Dr Sikandar Hayat, an anesthesiologist, refuses to leave his post as the assistant director for sanitation at the health facility.

Accused of misconduct, torture and harassment of another adminitrative official, Dr Hayat was directed last month to serve as the assistant anaesthetist and dismissed from his sanitation post. He was also issued a show-cause notice for his alleged assault on a senior Christian employee.

The former launched physical and verbal abuse against the latter and threatened to kill him.

"In view of the allegations of misconduct, there are sufficient grounds that disciplinary action must be taken against you. Therefore, you are hereby directed to work on original posts as assistant anaesthetist and your present assignment of assistant director sanitation is cancelled," read the notification issued by the Sindh health secretary on June 24, 2021, a day after the alleged attack.

"Action was taken against Dr Hayat on the complaint of JPMC Assistant Director Riaz Gill," a senior JPMC staffer privy to the developments told The Express Tribune.

"Gill came under attack by a mob led by Dr Hayat." Confirming that he had lodged a complaint, Gill said, "soon after I was promoted and made deputy director, Dr Hayat barged into my office and tried to kill me".

Other staffers were present when the attack occurred, recounted Gill. "Dr Hayat was not happy with my promotion. He threatened to set me on fire," he alleged.

"I was afraid he would kill me in the hospital. So I lodged a complaint against him."

Dr Hayat, however, denied the allegations against him. Refuting claims that he was involved in any such incident at the hospital, he said, "There was a dispute between Gill and another doctor. I reached there after hearing shouts. I have nothing to do with any uproar at the hospital."

Meanwhile, sources privy to the developments told The Express Tribune that after an internal inquiry into the matter and the transfer notice, the JPMC administration gave the sanitation charge to a Grade 16 officer.

But Dr Hayat has refused to leave his post. A lucrative post Despite there being a shortage of anesthesiologists in the country and in Sindh as well as the controversy surrounding him, Dr Hayat is adamant to continue working on his administrative post. As the sanitation in-charge he has roughly 300 staffers working under him.

"The sanitation department's main job is cleanliness of the hospital premises, its wards and departments, and the disposal of trash at the garbage dump," said a JPMC employee.

He added that around 250 to 300 kilogrammes of waste is routinely collected from the hospital and incinerated at the garbage dump.

The post is reportedly a lucrative one due to the potential it offers for corruption. Hospital sources told The Express Tribune that a lot of the sanitation staff draws salaries without actually being present on the premises.

Some are employed in other jobs or have their own small businesses while others are out of station. Sources claim that such staffers - or ghost employees - are able to get away with this as they share half the salary they receive from JPMC with senior staffers at the hospital.

Some of the individuals employed in the hospital's sanitation department have even given their ATM cards to senior JPMC to directly access salaries, according to sources.

The senior officials who reportedly benefit from such practices could not be independently identified by The Express Tribune, however. 'Personal grudge' Speaking to The Express Tribune, Dr Hayat explained that it was not the sanitation post that he was particularly attached to.

"I want to stay in administration as I have done a masters of science in public health, which is mandatory for holding such an administrative post."

He alleged he was being dismissed because JPMC Executive Director Dr Seemin Jamali has a personal grudge against him.

"I have never attacked anyone. This is all a drama to remove me from the post." Dr Hayat added that he was a federal officer and had cleared the Federal Public Service Commission exam in 2006.

"No coercive action can be taken against me, the Sindh government has no legal right to issue any such notifications," he said, referring to a Supreme Court decision.

He claimed that this was the first such notification regarding an internal posting transfer at the facility in the past 10 years.

According to him, all such decisions are made by the executive director's office. Dismissing the allegation, Dr Jamali said that there was a video of the incident viral on social media.

"How can he deny it? We can't accept gunda raj [violent rule] in the hospital and have someone torture and threaten staff," she said.

The executive director added that the health secretary was superior in rank and could pass any order in his purview.

"The secretary's order must be complied with and Dr Hayat will have to leave his post as the sanitation assistant director."

Meanwhile, Gill maintained that Dr Hayat attacked him because he was promoted but he was less concerned about the promotion and more concerned for his personal safety.

"I have done my masters in public administration and served at JPMC for 25 years that is why I was promoted. I don't want a promotion but request higher authorities [to ensure] my safety."

Speaking to The Express Tribune, JPMC Employees Action Committee President Dr Kaleem Khoso said that Dr Hayat had created a law and order situation at the hospital premises.

He was of the view that Dr Hayat was not complying with the secretary's directives and was also ignoring that the executive director has given sanitation charge to another officer.