PAC sought details of deposit irregularities

PESHAWAR (APP): A meeting of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chaired by Speaker Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani Wednesday directed health department to provide deposit details and record of Rs 150 million released by the health department for Mother, Neonatal and Child Health (MNCH) Project in 2015-16.
The meeting among others was attended by MPAs including Babar Salim Swati, Dr. Aasia Assad, Salah-ud-din Khan, secretary PAC, Amjad Khan and concerned officials of audit and finance departments.
Chairing the meeting, Speaker Mushtaq Ahmad expressed annoyance over the absence of secretary health and directed administrative heads to attend meetings and personally defend audit paras of their departments.
The meeting said that depositing of Rs 150 million in a private bank is in contravention of existing rules and directed action against concerned officials of the project and to furnish details.
Participants of meeting noted that Departmental Accounts Committee of MNCH does not hold regular meeting that waste time of PAC in discussing issues of trivial nature.
The meeting discussed finance related objections of various hospitals and settled one audit para of Moulvi Ameer Shah Hospital and District Headquarters Hospital Charsadda.
PAC members directed officials of audit department to discuss minor issues beforehand and prepare themselves to attend PAC meeting. Health Department was also directed to submit inquiry report relating to upgrade status of project accounts by MNCH in 2016-15.
The chair also directed audit department to present the relevant data and ensure presence of staff which have compiled facts and figures.
Meeting also sought details of steps taken by health department relating to provision of professional allowance to Biochemist and Microbiologist working in government hospitals. PAC also directed inquiry of unauthorized expenditures of District Headquarters Hospital Charsadda in 2015-16 and salary increase of certain administrative officers and doctors. The meeting sought report of the inquiry and details of action taken against responsible officials.
Members also directed to charge same fee of ultrasound in government hospitals of the province and referred audit paras of Hayatabad Medical Complex to subcommittee for discussion.
On the occasion, member PAC, Babar Saleem also directed audit department to conduct audit of King Abdullah Hospital Manshera of last five years.