CHITRAL: The stand-off between the district health officer and deputy commissioner over purchase of medicines from flood disaster funds has created shortage of medicines in almost all hospitals of Chitral district.

Rahmat Ilahi, chairman of steering committee on health in the district council, told this correspondent that following the flood devastation last year in Chitral the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had released Rs14.2 million for purchase of medicines and the issue cropped up when district health officer Dr Israrullah bought medicines from Peshawar without informing the DC who was chairman of the purchase committee by virtue of his office.

Mr Ilahi said that the medicines were being dumped in store for the last six months as the DC was not releasing the cheque to the supplier with the contention that the purchase had been made in violation of rules. He feared that the medicines could lose efficacy as they were to be kept under controlled temperature.

DC claims DHO has bought medicines in violation of rules

He said that hospitals in the district, including the DHQ hospital, had run short of medicines and even life-saving drugs were not available in any of the health facilities of Chitral due to the standoff between the two officers.

Mr Ialhi said that the medicines bought by DHO should be checked both for their quality and quantity to determine the funds were properly spent or not.

When contacted, DHO Dr Israrullah said that the medicines were bought by the medicine control committee (MCC) of the health department in the provincial office while selection of medicines was made by him.

When contacted, deputy commissioner Osama Ahmed Warraich said that the DHO had acted arbitrarily, making the whole process of medicines purchase questionable and that’s why he did not release the amount. He said that he had informed the secretary to government for health department about the anomaly committed by the DHO.

Rebutting the argument of the health officer that the medicines were bought by MCC, he said that the funds were released by PDMA and the purchase was to be made on the district level.

District nazim Maghfirat Shah also said that the DHO had transgressed his powers and that he had ordered an inquiry against him. He said that the arbitrary action committed by the health officer had caused acute shortage of medicines and life-saving drugs in the hospitals.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2016