LAHORE: The Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department has decided to initiate action against the medical superintendent of a THQ hospital in Kasur under the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability Act 2006.

Additional Principal Medical Officer Dr Mahmood Akhtar Malik was made the MS of Kot Radha Kishan THQ hospital during the caretaker set-up, said an official of the PSH Department on Friday.

On complaints that Dr Malik started malpractices soon after taking over charge of his office, Minister for Health Dr Yasmin Rashid constituted a team comprising health department officials. Some team members went to the THQ hospital in the garb of patients and found that the government hospital had been converted into a private clinic. Instead of health department employees, private people were found running various sections of the government facility and collecting charges for free healthcare facilities.

The remaining team members reached the spot along with the assistant commissioner concerned, seized the record and initially detected irregularities in the award of certain contracts for the hospital.

“Dr Malik has been asked to leave charge and report to the PSH Department. He has been suspended from service,” said the official.

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2018