0
LAHORE, Feb 16: Former chief executive-cum-principal executive officer of the Services Hospital Lahore’s Postgraduate Medical Institute, Prof Shamim Ahmad Khan, has been held responsible for administrative lapses, unfair award of contracts and wrong share distribution by the health department.
The health department had constituted a committee to inquire into the allegations levelled against Prof Shamim by the hospital’s former Finance Director, MS Idrees Tarrar, from Sept 2000 to April 2002. Prof Shamim served as CE-cum-PEO from Aug 25, 1999 to Aug 19, 2002.
The four-member committee, headed by Dr Anwaar Ahmad Bugvi, confirmed that Prof Shamim caused a loss of Rs56.87 million in appointments and promotions of employees on a contract, wrong distribution of share and unfair award of contracts.
In its detailed report, the committee said Prof Shamim formed a ‘self-styled’ Institutional Management Committee comprising CE, PGMI dean, medical superintendent and deputy director/budget and accounts officer. The committee enjoyed full financial and administrative powers beyond those contained in the Punjab Finance Department’s notification issued on Feb 29, 2000, to regularize the business of the institution in the absence of a notified IMC.
The committee reported that the health department had also clarified in a letter of July 12, 2002, that the IMC was yet to be notified by the government in case of the hospital’s postgraduate institute. The CE was also advised that the exercise of powers should be consistent with the above to avoid codal and legal complications.
ADMINISTRATIVE LAPSES: The committee said the PGMI/SHL chief executive, management committee and the departmental promotion committee committed irregularities while appointing five people against different posts and 108 doctors on a contract and promoting PGMI’s teaching staff, thus causing a loss of Rs40 million to the public exchequer.
The committee stated that irregularities were committed in the appointment of Qaisar Sanaullah, assistant director (works) in BPS-17, on a package of Rs8,000 and later Rs12,000 a month along with free accommodation.
Calculating the loss of Rs536,000 to the public exchequer, the committee recommended that the director-general audit should also check the performance and expenditure incurred by Mr Sanaullah on the construction, maintenance and repairs. The committee also confirmed irregularities in the appointments of Ahmad Saeed (bio-medical engineer), Muhammad Mumtaz (legal adviser), Muhammad Islam (superintendent) and Abdul Samad Qureshi (deputy director finance), saying these appointments caused a loss of Rs907,261.
The committee said the SHL management also caused a loss of Rs11.869 million by appointing doctors against deputation posts and on a contract in violation of financial and administrative rules without authority and transparency.
It said the management appointed 67 doctors against deputation posts of the PGMI for one year up to June 30, 2001 and 26 doctors from July 1, 2001, and 19 doctors appointed on a contract in BPS-18 and BPS-17, causing a loss of Rs8.442 million, Rs1.56 million and Rs1.867 million, respectively.
The committee said the PGMI’s deputation posts were meant only for the serving doctors of the Punjab government for improvement of their qualifications. It added no MBBS qualified person from open market could be appointed FCPS Part-II student, confirming that even the IMC had also observed this irregularity.
According to the inquirers, the Services Hospital committee redesignated a number of posts and the incumbents were given special privileges for which no record was available. Many doctors were promoted and appointed against senior posts without authority while teaching staff was promoted in its own pay scale with perks and privileges without competition and authority.
The committee said the hospital’s CE was only empowered to appoint/promote employees up to BPS-15 in the capacity of head of the attached department. Such promotions caused an additional burden on financial resources and led to non-clearance of arrears of regular civil servants, it observed.
SHARE DISTRIBUTION: The inquiry committee said the allegation of financial loss of Rs7.61 million to the government on account of wrong distribution of share has been proved against hospital’s management committee and the CE.
It said a committee comprising four employees, having no lawful authority, decided a share ratio, which violated the government’s ratio and share distribution formula issued on Sept 11, 1985. Similarly, it said, different charges and share ratio were decided on Dec 11, 1999, and 80 per cent was granted to surgeons and physicians under hospital formula. The revised rates and distribution ratio of income was never submitted to the government for approval.
The committee calculated overpayment of Rs4.99 million due to wrong share distribution to surgeons and physicians from Sept 1999 to June 2002. Prof Shamim himself drew more than Rs501,000, including share from Jan 2002 to July 2002 for which he was not entitled under the new rules.
It said five per cent of the income under receipt (Rs2.83 million) was used as general pool money and distributed among various categories of staff, including the CE, at the latter’s sweet will. About Rs2.38 million were distributed among the CE, medical superintendent, principal medical officers, APMOs, SMOs, MOs and other administrative staff members against the government’s standing instructions. Prof Shamim drew Rs250,000 from the general pool money, the committee added.
The income of Rs17.25 million from diagnostic departments was distributed partially on a formula different from the one set for surgeons and physicians. The committee calculated that Rs5.33 million were distributed to diagnostic departments under hospital formula, which caused Rs2.14 million loss to the government. It also said Rs11.92 million were still lying with the hospital for distribution.
AWARD OF CONTRACTS: The inquiring committee found that the award of contracts for canteen, telephone booths, a flower shop and purchase of equipment and injections caused Rs9.26 million loss.
The government also sustained a loss of Rs5.16 million for the award of canteen contract for five years, Rs3.2 million for the award of contract for 16 telephone booths for three years, Rs170,000 for the award of contract for flower shop on the SHL gate No 4, and Rs729,096 in two contracts made for the purchase of equipment and injections.
The inquiring members also found irregularities in the ‘Services Hospital Human Resources Welfare Fund’ introduced by the IMC. They also said the ‘Fund’ received donations in cash, cheques and kind for which receipts were issued occasionally. The donation registers for cash and kind were ill-maintained and no proper system for handling the public money was devised, they said.
The committee recommended that the donation in cash, which appeared to be more than Rs10 million and the equipment more than Rs20 million, required detailed audit and physical verification by the DG Audit.
