MULTAN: The Health Department authorities have yet to take action against the employees of Multan Children’s Hospital, including the medical superintendent (MS), who were declared guilty of misappropriation of funds and authorities, in an inquiry one year ago, Dawn has learnt.

The inquiry committee was made on the direction of the provincial health secretary to conduct a probe into the complaint by hospital clerk Shahid Saeed Basra.

The committee consisting of Health Services Director Dr Rafiullah, Accounts Officer of the Internal Audit Wing Asad Iftikhar Malik and Auditor of the Internal Wing Habibullah held proceedings from March 11 to 13, 2013.

The committee heard the views of the officials in person on March 13, 2013.

The committee found that the cashbook had no proper particulars and was overwritten with incomplete entries from January, 2012 to March, 2013.

The probe concluded that many store items were misappropriated or stolen. The committee recommended that the cost of the items be recovered from the MS and deposited with the government treasury and that action be taken against the responsible officials.

The committee pointed out that Rs844,800 were withdrawn from the government treasury to supply miscellaneous store items but the spending was not mentioned in the stock register nor cashbook and the budget register.

“It is an established fact that the amount in question was embezzled and hushed up by the MS,” reads the report.

The report says furniture, fixtures, machinery and equipment valuing Rs821,010 were purchased without any prior approval from the austerity committee of the government of Punjab.

In its observations regarding a tender in 2011-12, the committee said that the annual tender was not advertised on Punjab Procurement Regulatory Authority website. The award of tender does not mention quantity and reason for delaying the tender award. There is no record of tender fee and call deposit record and that only two, out of nine, members of the tender body signed the acceptance of bid evaluation.

The committee says that the hospital management opened three bank accounts without any approval from the Finance Department.

The committee recommended that the hospital suffered a Rs3.575 million loss due to the mismanagement, negligence and poor internal control over the financial system and the money may be recovered from the MS.

The probe recommended that another Rs176,080 be recovered from the MS on account of conveyance allowance received by him; action be taken against Dr Khan for opening unauthorised bank accounts and another Rs775,000 be recovered from him for non deposit of contract money of the canteen.

“It is further proposed that a detailed audit of the tenure of Dr Khan be carried out and all the officers/officials involved in this corruption may immediately be transferred from this institution,” the report concluded.

Inquiry officer Dr Rafiullah said that he was not aware of the circumstances delaying action against the MS and other staffers.