ABBOTTABAD: An inquiry committee has recommended termination of five officials of Ayub Medical Teaching Institution for irregularities and financial mismanagement.

The committee has detected Rs1.355 billion irregularities and financial mismanagement. The inquiry committee was constituted by Board of Governors of Ayub Medical Teaching Institution (AMTI). The panel recommended termination of five senior officials beside recovery of Rs208.8 million from them.

The secretary of BoG, Hamid Khan, when contacted, confirmed that the long awaited findings of inquiry were finalised and handed over to him. He said that the findings would be discussed in next BoG meeting.

The chairman of BoG, Prof Abid Jameel, also confirmed completion of inquiry. The report reveals procurement violations including fake bids and forged documents; misuse of authority by senior officials and overpayment for surgical items and medicines during caretaker government in 2023-24 fiscal year.

Report detects Rs1.355 billion irregularities and financial mismanagement

The committee, headed by Prof Haq Nawaz, was consisted of head of pharmacy department Sona Khan; senior lawyer and former BoG member Asad Khan Jadoon and financial expert Umer Abbassi.

The report urged BoG to recover the money from hospital officials and initiate criminal probes to restore trust of people. The report stated that pharmacy supplies and IT equipment were purchased at rates exceeding market prices due to absence of mandatory market surveys. It also stated that purchase of items worth Rs930 was illegally approved.

The report said Rs180 million was paid to various firms that were ineligible to be awarded contracts. It said former head of inventory management and main medicine store was found in involved mis-procurement process.

The committee also got evidence about tempering of comparative statements in contravention to original quotations submitted by respective bidders, which resulted in a huge financial loss to the institution.

Few other firms submitted fake and forged documents in tender and all of them won the tender and made a business of more than Rs88 million during a short span of time.

The committee also recommends promotions withheld for three years for facilitators, including senior doctors and other administrative staff while issuing warnings to negligent committee members.

It said that five officials were directly linked to embezzlement of Rs208,829,678 in pharmacy and IT equipment procurements. They were deemed inefficient, guilty of misconduct and involved in corrupt practices with misuse of authority under MTI Abbottabad Efficiency and Discipline Amendment Regulations, 2023, said the report.

During the inquiry, 47 employees of ATH were called for recording their statements while a large number of official documents were exhibited showing unlawful purchase.

Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2025