RAHIM YAR KHAN: Four medical graduates were selected house officers (HO) allegedly in violation of merit at the Shaikh Zayed Medical College Hospital (SZMCH) here.

The hospital administration had on April 3, 2017, invited applications from fresh graduates of SZMC and other medical colleges of Punjab for house jobs. Last date for submission of applications was April 10 with all required documents. First merit list was displayed on April 17 and final on April 20. Interviews were held on April 22 and orders for selection were issued on April 25.

Mian Azhar of Khanpur, a cousin of PML-N MPA Ijaz Shafi, told journalists that the SZH administration had violated the merit policy and her daughter was a victim of it.

Cases of alleged domicile forgery also surface

Another affected applicant filed a writ petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC), Bahawalpur bench.

Mian Azhar claimed that siblings Muhammad Aamir Sattar, Muhammad Azhar Sattar and Saria Sattar had completed their medical graduation from Ghulam Muhammad Medical College, Sukkur, and Iqra Aslam from Chandka Medical College, Larkana, after getting domiciles of Sindh though they were permanent residents of Punjab.

He said three candidates got their new domiciles of Punjab (Lodhran district) and one from (Rahim Yar Khan district) on April 20 and April 24, respectively, after the last date for submission of applications.

“How these four candidates were included in the merit list,” Mian Azhar questioned.

Medical Superintendent Dr Ghulam Rabbani told Dawn an inquiry in this regard had been ordered. He said all applicants had been selected on merit.

Asked how these candidates were included in the merit list when their domiciles were not submitted within the deadline, the MS said there were 150 house job seats and when some candidates dropped, those on the waiting list were interviewed and selected.

Assistant Commissioner HRM and Coordination Riasat Ali said an FIR could be registered against a domicile applicant if he had already got a domicile from other district in the country. He said that in the case of Iqra Aslam all the required documents were complete. He was, however, surprised to know that how a student who had passed her matriculation from Sadiqabad (Punjab) did FSc and medical graduation from a medical college of Sindh.

MPA Ijaz Shafi told this correspondent that the people involved in this case would not be spared because an inquiry was under way.

SZM Principal Pof Dr Mubarak Chaudhry said he would form an inquiry committee today (Saturday).

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2017