PESHAWAR: National Accountability Bureau has asked four medical teaching institutions to make presentations about procedure of procurement and pinpoint problems and complaints along with suggestion to resolve the related issues.

A letter issued by the watchdog has asked chairman of Board of Governors of Mardan Medical Complex and directors of Bacha Khan Medical Complex Swabi and Khyber Teaching Hospital Peshawar and medical director of Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar that a presentation has been scheduled on February 13 at local offices of NAB and procurement committees have been asked to attend it via video link.

The discussion, it said, should focus on matters related to procurement process in medical teaching institutions (MTIs). They have been asked to make preparations to discuss and overview the existing procurement process as per rules of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (KPPRA) and challenges, observations and complaints received about procurement in MTIs.

The officials have also been asked to inform the bureau about violation of KPRRA rules if any and propose measures for resolution of complaints.

Meeting for the purpose will be held on Feb 13

The letter has been issued by awareness and prevention wing of NAB to ensure that problems and weaknesses in procurement processes come to the fore and remove them subsequently.

Officials at MTIs, however, said that the bureau issued letter to chairman of BoG of Mardan Medical Complex, who took charge a couple of months ago and had nothing to do with the procurement process. The position of BoG chairman is voluntary and is not relevant in matter related to procurements. Similarly, director of Bacha Medical Complex Swabi has taken charge of his assignment recently.

In Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar, the medical director had been asked to attend the meeting despite the fact that procurements were handled by hospital director through relevant committees, they said.

Officials said that the province had 10 MTIs and all had committees for procurements but still chairpersons of BoGs and medical director could inform NAB about the problems in procurement process and furnishing proposals to bring improvement and save public money from being wasted.

Currently, there is no government’s check on MTIs as they have got their respective BoGs, which are making decisions and implementing the same through medical, hospital, nursing and finance directors. “The MTIs have their internal audit sections, which are that good to be relied upon,” they said.

The officers, who have been directed to attend the meeting, have vast experience in MTIs. They can be expected to put forward useful suggestions to bring the much-needed improvement in procurement process in teaching hospitals.

“All the MTIs make huge procurement of medicines, equipment and medical supplies frequently where transparency is required not only to safeguard the public money but also to purchase quality stuff,” said officials.

They said that there was an urgent need to streamline purchases because low quality medicines and equipment negatively impacted patients. “We want NAB to get engaged with the MTIs for the betterment of patients in the province,” they said.

They added that MTIs needed to put in place best system for procurement as 50 per cent of patients visited teaching hospitals for their health-related problems.

Two of the officials, asked by NAB to attend the video link presentations, told Dawn that they had no problem in attending the meeting. They said that they would love to inform the anti-corruption body regarding their grievances in procurement process.

Published in Dawn, February 10th, 2025