They said the storekeepers had been reshuffled over alleged mismanagement on their part, adding the ministry received several complaints against storekeepers in various hospitals stating they were not performing their duties accordingly.
“Complaints against some storekeepers compelled the ministry to issue orders to reshuffle them,” a health official said while requesting anonymity as he was not authorised to speak
to the media.
The official said a total of 27 storekeepers have been transferred from their current location to other hospitals, adding that besides storekeepers, the ministry has also transferred 16 junior clinical technicians (JCT) and seven junior primary health care technicians.
“Corruption in stores is at its peak as most medicines are expired and do not reach the people in need of them,” he said. The official added the court had earlier also taken notice of complaints about medicines being sold in the market.
“They (storekeepers) had become a mafia,” he said and lauded the government’s decision of transferring the storekeepers.
“Just like patwaris, the storekeepers would be biased in providing medicines to people,” said an official of the health directorate, adding the directorate has ordered all transferred employees to report to the specified centres within three days.
According to a high-ranking official of the directorate, another reason for the transfers was to send these employees to other hospitals as they had been working at their respective hospitals for years. However, the official confirmed complaints were made, saying the provincial government has been focusing on the issue. He added the directorate wants to help the public, promising troublemakers and biased people would never be tolerated.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 30th, 2014.
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