ISLAMABAD: After a long controversy and notices taken by parliamentary committees about his alleged involvement in corruption, the chief of the Human Organ Transport Authority (HOTA) Dr Ishtiaq A Malik has resigned from his post.

Talking to Dawn, Dr Malik said he had resigned because some media persons had started a campaign against him and the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) management had also withdrawn its support saying it cannot bear the pressure from the media.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had in October last year placed HOTA under the NHS ministry after which the ministry said bringing in a competent administrator for the authority was its priority.

Dr Malik said he resigned because he could not take pressure by the media regarding a civil suit filed against him in the

Two months ago, Dr Malik was appointed head of HOTA and soon after, reports emerged of him having been involved in corruption and that he was fined $17 million by the USA Department of Justice.

The matter soon reached a Senate committee and the NHS management faced criticism after it said it was not aware of the scandal.

The NHS ministry sought a written reply from the HOTA administrator. In his reply, available with Dawn, Dr Mailk said a civil suit was filed against him, that the case had been settled after the payment of the fine and attached a document from the USA Department of Justice which was signed by the Maryland government, the government of Washington and the US attorney general. He admitted that his license had remained suspended between August 2015 and August 2016 and that he will remain under probation during his practice in the US.

In his reply, Dr Malik said this was a routine matter and that the amount was overpaid by insurance companies. The civil suit had not impact except the financial liability for the overpaid amount.

Talking to Dawn, Dr Malik said various amounts had been deducted from medical insurance for the same procedures and the irregularities had amounted to a million dollars but the court fined him $17 million.

“I sold my property and bankrupt myself paying the fine after which I decided to come to Pakistan where I applied for heading HOTA and got the job even though there were other, more well known candidates,” he said.

Dr Malik said a US national had come to Pakistan to donate her liver to her sister who works in the media.

“I told her that if a woman wants to donate her liver, she has to obtain a NOC from her husband. She said her relationship with her husband was not good and they were not living together which is why she cannot get an NOC from him,” he said.

Dr Malik said he had suggested she get a court order after which she will be operated on, which led to a media campaign against him.

“Even the NHS has stopped defending me and some of the officers in the ministry suggested I resign,” he said, adding that he had sent his resignation to NHS secretary Ayub Sheikh.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2017