Financial irregularities: Authorities uncover Rs17m corruption by health officials

Anti-corruption establishment sends report to DG Punjab for further action.

ISLAMABAD:

The anti-corruption establishment of the Rawalpindi division forwarded a report to the director general in Punjab for prompt legal action against five grade-20 health officials regarding mismanagement and financial irregularities of Rs17 million.

The report names a former principal of the Rawalpindi medical college and allied hospitals, as well as an ex-medical superintendent of the district headquarters hospital.

It established that losses of Rs9.3 million have been recovered from a contractor firm by the anti-corruption team during preliminary inquiries regarding electricity work in the allied hospitals. Rs7.7 million for construction work is yet to be recovered as the heavy machinery allocated for hospitals had lost utility due to improper installation, and mismanagement.

Director of the anti-corruption Rawalpindi division Chaudhry Zulfiqar confirmed the financial irregularities in the medical college and its three allied hospitals.

The fraud was uncovered when a Rawalpindi citizen Raja Aurangzaib filed a complaint with the establishment that the former principal of a Rawalpindi medical college and allied hospitals is allegedly involved in gross malpractice and that the embezzlement is causing a loss to the government exchequer.

Despite the restriction of the government, the former dean made contracts for building material such as cement, bricks, steel bars, electric wires, and plumbing, for which he had no authority.

The complainant alleged that the contractor had neither the expertise nor was any effort made to technically scrutinise the bids.

The government allocated Rs6 million for the purchase of mammogram machines for each hospital, while Rs18 million were also placed at the disposal of the then principal, however, he made contracts of five machines at higher rates and the funds lapsed as the property could not be purchased. As a result, patients could not be provided the necessary services, the complainant alleged.

Soon after receiving the complaint, the anti-corruption establishment obtained the technical report from department officials, who calculated that a loss amounting to Rs17 million had occurred, sources said.

After deducting irregularities in the preliminary probe, the anti-corruption establishment started an investigation by initiating probes against the five grade-20 health officers with the permission of the Punjab government.

After receiving the directive, the DG could initiate further legal action against the responsible officials, which could be the registration of an FIR against them as irregularities and financial losses have already been established.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 13^th, 2014.