Irregularities detected at Kidney Centre

PESHAWAR:

Widespread irregularities in procurement of equipment and awards of construction contracts at the Institute of Kidney Diseases, Peshawar have surfaced in an audit report released here on Sunday. According to the report, the purchase of various types of equipment for the Kidney Centre at expensive market rate prices and awards of construction contracts to companies without approval had inflicted millions of rupees in losses.

In the report on the Institute of Kidney Diseases, Peshawar, objections have been raised on medical devices and other items. Medical equipment and other items were purchased at prices higher than the market rates due to which the exchequer suffered a loss of Rs9.7 million. Surgical gloves were purchased for Rs112 instead of Rs71 which resulted in a loss of Rs2.5 million in their purchase, according to the audit report. Plastic bags were bought at Rs230 instead of Rs197 which meant that they were bought for Rs5,160 more than the market rate.

Chemicals used at the institute were also bought at high prices, the audit report revealed. The contract for the beautification and construction work of the hospital was also awarded against the rules. The contract worth Rs88.7 million was given to a private company. According to the audit report, a 10 per cent performance security of Rs8.8 million had not been taken from the company and the contract had been unjustifiably extended until the year 2022-23. An unauthorised payment of Rs90 million had also been made for construction work, the audit report said.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 8^th, 2024.