Consumer court: Health officers issued notices over birth certificate

LAHORE:

A consumer court on Saturday again issued notices to the health secretary and the district health officer for February 13 in a suit seeking Rs53,440 damages for not preparing four birth certificates.

The notices issued earlier were apparently delivered to the wrong address. The court directed the petitioner to provide the correct addresses of the respondents. Petitioner Abeeda Parveen had told the court she had visited the Health Department to apply for birth certificates for her four children in March last year. She said she was given forms and directed to pay Rs110 for each birth certificate at the National Bank of Pakistan branch located on the department’s premises.

She said she deposited the amount and showed the Health Department staff the receipt for the transaction.

She said they told her to collect the certificates on April 5. She said when she went to get the certificates, she was told her records were not available with the department.

She asked the court to direct the secretary to investigate the matter.

She also sought reimbursement of Rs440, Rs1,500 for her counsel’s fee, Rs50,000 for mental agony and Rs1,500 for miscellaneous expenses.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 26^th, 2014.