Irregularity?: New Pims cardiology head regularised against rules

Orders were issued during final days of outgoing government.

ISLAMABAD:

A senior doctor who was working on contract at the city’s biggest government hospital was regularised and appointed in BPS-20, allegedly against the relevant rules.

After becoming the only one out of 37 contract employees who were regularised, Professor Dr Shahid Nawaz Malik was appointed as head of the Pakistan Institution of Medical Sciences (Pims), Cardiology Department, according to a Capital Administration and Development (CAD) Ministry official who requested anonymity.

The official said the appointment is unlawful because the seat was not advertised, no interviews were conducted, and the ban imposed by the Election Commission of Pakistan on hiring was violated. In addition, his age is listed as 56, while according to the Establishment Code of Pakistan, a BPS-20 permanent job cannot be given after the age of 55.

In addition, the PC-4 of the cardiology department has not been approved yet. All contract employees in the department were to be regularised after the approval, he said.



“His case may also be brought to the court with all the other dubious appointments made by the former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on his last day in office,” said the official.

CAD Secretary Riffat Shaheen Qazi confirmed Prof Nawaz’s appointment, adding that her ministry moved a summary for his appointment to the former prime minister, who later approved it.

She said the move came after the retirement of the previous cardiology department head Dr Iqbal Saifullah Khan. The vacancy needed to be fulfilled quickly, and Dr Nawaz was the only qualified option available, she said.

Pims Administrator Dr Muhammad Iqbal Memon — himself a recent appointment — told The Express Tribune that the appointment of Dr Nawaz was not in his knowledge as he had only recently taken charge. He said he has not yet seen a document or notification regarding his appointment or regularisation.



However, he did say that “Nawaz is an influential person, so everything is possible for him”.

When The Express Tribune contacted Dr Nawaz, he confirmed the regularisation and appointment. He defended the appointment by stating that in 2010, he cleared all the requirements for the post and was supposed to be regularised, but as there was no position vacant at the time so I had to wait.

He further said that the CCU department of the new cardiology department is near completion, after which the PC-4 of the cardiology department will be approved and all other contractual employees will be regularised.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 4^th, 2013.