Officer facing corruption inquiry gets promotion

Senior women health officer elevated to grade-19

RAWALPINDI:

An officer facing an inquiry into corruption of more than Rs66 million in the Rawalpindi District Health Authority was promoted to grade 19, with claims an ‘indicting assessment’ was removed from her annual confidential review (ACR) to facilitate the elevation, it emerged Wednesday.

A three-member committee headed by Health Services Director Dr Asadur Rahman had found that Dr Hooria Mohsin and seven others caused losses of Rs66.2 million to the national exchequer during procurement for the health authority.

It also recommended recovering the amount from the officials and initiating a separate inquiry against them under the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability (PEEDA) Act.

Tariq Mehmood Niazi and Muhammad Khalid, who were assistant accountants, Raja Ashiq Iqbal, a junior clerk, Mohammad Riaz Ahmed, another assistant Accountant, medical technician Waseem Baig, storekeepers Umar Hayat and Naeem Akhtar, and one other were named alongside Dr Mohsin in the finding of the first inquiry committee.

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Instead, another inquiry committee was formed under the chairmanship of Health Services Director Dr Rana Muhammad Riaz. A third committee was then constituted on May 8, the same day on which the second inquiry committee was scheduled to submit its final report in the case.

Instead of reviewing the findings, the health secretary terminated the committee and gave it 14 days to submit its report. The additional secretary for reforms chaired the committee which was yet to submit the report despite the lapse of over six months.

On June 7, the Secretary of the primary and secondary healthcare department issued a new letter directing the chief executive officer of the Rawalpindi District Health Authority to appear before the inquiry committee on June 9.

Those privy to the investigation said that the officer facing the inquiry had stalled the investigation, including through delays in the submission of her statement.

When the inquiry officer summoned her, the health secretary set up the third committee.

As per sources, District Health Authority CEO Dr Ansar Ishaq flagged the officer’s ‘corruption’ in her ACR ‘but it was somehow removed from the report to facilitate her promotion’.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 23^rd, 2023.