PAC sought report of purchase irregularities in hospitals

Ishaq Khan

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhrunkhwa Assembly Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday directed health department to submit a detailed report of irregularities being reported in purchase of hospital’s medical equipments and machinery.

A meeting of Khyber Pakhrunkhwa Assembly Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chaired by Idrees Khan, the meeting was attended by MPAs including Inayat Ullah, Babar Saleem, Dr. Aasia Asad, Salahuddin and Jamshed Mohmand besides Special Secretary Health, Farooq Jamil and concerned officials of finance, audit and law departments.

The meeting directed health authorities to provide details of irregularities being reported in purchase of dialysis machines in District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital Charsadda in 2014-15, purchase of laundry unit in Moulvi Ameer Shah Hospital Peshawar and equipment purchased by District Health Office Lower Dir for various hospitals.

 Meeting also directed health department to devise a policy to avoid taking decision that contravenes the existing rules and regulations, and sought a inquiry report to identify the responsible officials for initiating recovery.

PAC meeting also settled three audit paras of Medical Teaching Institute Bannu and said that a portion of released amount that was spend on renovation should have utilized for providing health cover to Internally Displaced Persons in 2014-15.

Participants constituted a inter departmental committee comprising officials of audit, finance, health and audit departments to investigate the matter after raising objections over the documents being presented to the members as insufficient. The committee was directed to present its inquiry report to PAC in one month.

PAC also sought report of financial irregularities of payments being made to supplier of gas cylinders and purchase of furniture in Khalifa Gul Nawaz Hospital Bannu.