Impartiality Questioned: Health official demands second judicial inquiry

PESHAWAR:

K-P Health Services Assistant Director Dr Saeedur Rahman on Saturday demanded a second judicial inquiry into the substandard interferon case.

Addressing a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club, Dr Rahman demanded a judicial inquiry with the help of a technical expert, claiming the initial inquiry was biased.

“The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) has no technical staff to conduct an impartial and valid inquiry,” maintained Dr Rahman, who is also an office bearer of ‘Malgari Doctron’, an ANP-affiliated wing of medical professionals.

Accompanying other medical practitioners including Syed Taimor Shah, Aslam Khan and Abid Hussain, Dr Rahman alleged the ACE did not adopt the coined procedure while handling the case. He, however, failed to explain what the said procedure was.

“An inter-departmental inquiry was initiated under the K-P Chief Secretary, but ACE did not await its outcome,” he claimed, adding the National Control Biological Laboratory, Islamabad had cleared the drug. “Such actions cast a negative impact on other vaccination campaigns including the polio eradication drive.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 7^th, 2013.