Bad medicine: Report on MNAs false medical bills hushed up

Committee tells PTA to increase efforts in detecting illegal telephonic traffic

ISLAMABAD: A report detailing irregularities in issuing medicines and medical allowance to lawmakers was not tabled at a meeting of a parliamentary panel on Friday in order to “hide corruption evidence”, an official who had worked on the report told The Express Tribune.

Minister for Capital Administration and Development Division (CAAD) Usman Ibrahim and CAAD Secretary Hamid Ali Khan presented the audit report (2009-2013) before the committee.

National Assembly Standing Committee on Cabinet Division Chairman Rana Hayat Khan “hushed up” the matter and did not table the report, the official said.



He said that the report looked into corruption in the medical quota reserved for lawmakers. Massive irregularities by some members of the National Assembly, the personal staff, the parliament’s staff, doctors and paramedic staff were highlighted in the report.

Last month, the committee announced that it would discuss a five-year report on medicines issued to MNAs on doctors’ prescriptions.

There was no explanation given for not tabling the report, the official said. Several lawmakers at the meeting too said that they suspected something was up.

Some lawmakers, parliamentary staff members and some CAAD officials told The Express Tribune that the report had not been presented because it named several MNAs who were involved in claiming money by submitting fake receipts.

Grey telephony

Members of the committee said Pakistan was facing losses of around Rs36 billion each year due to “grey telephony”. They urged the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to shore up efforts to detect illegal traffic. PTA Chairman Ismail Shah told The Express Tribune that it was difficult to assess losses accurately. He said the PTA was trying its best to put an end to the illegal business.

MNA Major Iqbal said 50 per cent of illegal telephonic traffic went undetected.

PTA and the Federal Investigation Agency have led 207 raids over the past six years, PTA officials said. They have arrested 158 citizens and seven foreigners involved in the business and blocked 718 illegal gateways, they added.

Committee chair Hayat Khan said that the relevant authorities had not upgraded their technology in order to detect illegal telephone calls over the internet (voice over internet protocol or VOIP).

Published in The Express Tribune, November 8^th, 2014.