AMTI BOG, hospital admin dispute escalates

Probe body fails to initiate proceedings on alleged financial irregularities

ABBOTTABAD:

The dispute between the Ayub Teaching Hospital administration and the Board of Governors (BOG) of Ayub Medical Teaching Institute (AMTI) has deepened, adding to the conflict amid legal confusion.

According to sources, the fact-finding inquiry committee constituted by AMTI BOG has failed to start its proceedings to probe the alleged unlawful purchases of medicines and equipment worth Rs930 million at Ayub Teaching Hospital due to the closure of the BOG office by the hospital administration and the suspension of the BOG secretary.

The four-member fact-finding inquiry committee, headed by BOG Member Asad Khan Jadoon, was mandated to probe the matter and was directed to recommend and fix responsibility within ten days. Asad Khan Jadoon was informed upon reaching the BOG office by the staff that the BOG office had been locked by the security staff under the directives of the hospital director.

Sources further said BOG Secretary Hamid Mehmood was issued a suspension letter by the same acting hospital director, despite the fact that he has no legal authority to take any action against the BOG secretary. The letter, signed by Dr Ather Lodhi, was countersigned by three other board members, including Ayaz Khan, Javed Turk, and Dr Aftab Rabani.

Member BOG and Chairman of the Legal Committee Asad Khan intervened in the matter and directed the security in-charge to refrain from any illegal steps. He withdrew the suspension letter of the secretary and wrote to the hospital director, stating that Section 6 of Subsection 10 of Act 2015 specifies that the secretary BOG is the employee of the board and is not part of MTI, as mentioned in the MTI Act.

The letter was also signed by three BOG members, including Asad Khan Jadoon, Fawad Saleh, and Syed Jaffar Shah.

It may be pointed out that the notification of the fact-finding committee on May 29 2024 stated that purchases of electrical store items, medical store items, surgical pathological items, IT equipment, and medicine store items were made without the prior approval of the BOG and against the prevailing rules. The board constituted an inquiry committee comprising Prof Sajid Kazmi, Prof Haq Nawaz, and M Zeeshan from the accounts office, while Asad Khan Jadoon Advocate, member BOG, would be the chairman of the inquiry committee.

The inquiry committee will submit its report within ten days with recommendations and the fixation of responsibilities in the next board meeting.

In the emergency meeting of the BOG, various issues of urgent nature were discussed in detail for the largest interest of the institution. Three board members, Syed Jaffar Hussain Shah, Asad Khan Jadoon Advocate, and Fawad Saleh Advocate, attended the meeting, besides Secretary Board Hamid Mehmood and Coordinator Dr Abid Khawaja, while three members, Ayaz Khan, Dr Aftab Rabbani, and Javed Ahmed Turk, abstained from attending the meeting.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 31^st, 2024.