June 12, 2006	Monday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 15, 1427

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MULTAN, June 11: The district officer (health) of Dera Ghazi Khan has levelled allegations of misappropriation of funds and malpractice against the district health department head.

In a letter sent to the chief minister through proper channel, DO (Health) Dr Sultan Muhammad Leghari alleged that EDO Dr Faiz Ali Jaskani had embezzled about Rs80 million from the funds allocated for the purchase of medicines and other commodities for financial years 2004-05 and 2005-06.

Sources in the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment’s Multan chapter have confirmed that a probe has been initiated to ‘weigh’ the allegations levelled against the Dera EDO. “The ACE has taken into custody some parts of the relevant record from the EDO office,” they added.

The DO, a subordinate to the EDO according to the hierarchy introduced under the devolution plan, had alleged that his district boss had created a new financial head (No 4201-001) and carried out all the purchases through his office under an illegal sub-head (559912). “The creation of new heads/sub-heads for budget utilisation falls within the jurisdiction of finance department and that, too, with the approval of the provincial chief executive,” he argued, adding “all this has happened in connivance with the district accounts officer and the EDO (finance and planning)”.

He said the funds unlawfully utilised by the EDO (health) were allocated for rural health centres, basic health units, municipal committee health centres, hospitals and dispensaries and under the financial rules were to be operated by the DO and senior medical officers of the RHCs. “But the DO and the SMOs have not been involved in procurements, inspections and distributions of logistics at any stage,” he claimed.

The applicant also invited attention of the authorities towards a practice that whenever the occasion had come for utilisation of funds allocated for the Dera DHQ hospital, the medical superintendent opted for leave and the authorities awarded the EDO the additional charge of the MS office. Consequently, all the purchases made in bulk for the DHQ hospital during the last two years were accomplished when EDO Dr Jaskani was also working as the MS.

It is pertinent to add here that a majority of the government departments usually utilise their funds in the last couple of months of a financial year, i.e May and June. Dr Zafar Yasin is at present on leave and Dr Jaskani has held the additional charge of the MS office of Dera DHQ Hospital as well.

The DO alleged that a tablet had been procured at a price of Rs18 while it was available at Rs0.30 in the open market. Similarly, DDT powder had been procured at Rs525 per kg as against its market price of Rs50 per kg and Phenyl at Rs148 per liter against its market price of Rs40 per liter.

DO Dr Sultan Leghari had brought the alleged malpractice of his district boss into the knowledge of the health department’s provincial authorities last year as well, but to no avail.

Sources close to him told Dawn that after being disappointed with the indifference of the departmental authorities, Dr Leghari was left with no option but to write a letter to the provincial chief executive (the chief minister).

When contacted, EDO Dr Jaskani described the allegations as baseless and frivolous. He said Dr Sultan Leghari was an incompetent officer, who had been posted DO (health) on the pressure of a local government boss.

He said since the inception of the devolution plan, the DCO and the EDO (F&P) were monitoring the financial aspects of the government departments devolved to the district government and they had not raised any objection so far to the procurements made by the health department.

On the rather ‘customary’ leave of Dera DHQ hospital MS during the crucial months of May, June and July, the EDO said Dr Zafar Yasin went on a three-month tableeghi tour every year and his leave had nothing to do with what Dr Leghari had alleged. He said Dr Yasin had utilised all of the DHQ hospital funds before proceeding on leave.