ISLAMABAD: The Federal Government Services Hospital (FGSH), better known as Polyclinic, suffered a loss of Rs35.1 million between 2013 and 2016 due to the purchase of medical gases and other items at exorbitant prices, according to an inquiry by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

The inquiry’s findings were laid before a two-judge Supreme Court bench led by Justice Amir Hani Muslim, which has taken suo motu notice of a case regarding alleged misappropriation in the supply of medicines as well as oxygen and nitrogen to Polyclinic.

In its interim report, the FIA told the court that its anti-corruption circle Islamabad conducted the inquiry into the allegations and found that the hospital’s purchase committee members and contractors — Malik Rehmat Manzoor of Business Developers and Rana Mehmood Ahmed of Crescent Traders — were found liable for cheating, criminal breach of trust, abuse of official position and gross violation of Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules by wilfully indulging in the purchase and supply of gases and allied items at exorbitant rates.

Supreme Court criticises lack of appointment rules, vacancies in city’s public hospitals

A case was registered on September 1 against nine suspects: purchase committee chairman Dr Zulkafil Sabir, purchase committee member and deputy executive director Dr Iftikhar Naru, purchase committee members Dr Azmat Humayun Khan Sumbal, Dr Farhan Sikandar, Dr Farrukh Iqbal, Dr Fayyaz Ahmed Sheikh and Dr Zahid Hussain, and the two contractors.

Other than the former executive director Dr Hussain, who is retired and at large, seven suspects are on physical remand, the FIA report said. Dr Sabir has been sent to judicial lock-up while Dr Naru is undergoing treatment at Pims.

The SC was also displeased to hear that none of the city’s public hospitals, including Polyclinic, Pims and the National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicines (NIRM) had permanent heads running the institutions.

The court noted that despite a number of vacancies in these hospitals, none of them had been filled due to the absence of recruitment rules.

It directed Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf Ali to personally ensure that the recruitment rules were framed in two weeks by authorities such as the Establishment Division and the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD).

“We are at a loss to understand why the government is planning to establish new hospitals, but no one — even the prime minister or the bureaucrats — is interested in maintaining the quality of the existing ones,” the SC said, adding if the matter concerned their perks and privileges they would turn to the court to have it addressed, but no one was willing to point out lacunas when the health sector was devolved.

During the proceedings, CADD Joint Secretary Ayesha Farooq conceded that the quality of healthcare at Pims was not up to the mark due to the shortage of staff.

Justice Qazi Faez Isa asked if it would take 70 years to develop recruitment rules, while Justice Muslim criticised the government for grappling with preliminary appointment rules while people’s lives were at stake.

That the primary health department of the federal capital was functioning under the Islamabad commissioner’s office was also criticised.

Justice Isa said the interior ministry had not been able to issue arms licences properly but had taken on the added responsibility of maintaining healthcare centres in Islamabad.

The attorney general is expected to personally appear before the SC on September 27.

Published in Dawn September 7th, 2016