LAHORE, Feb 11: The Health Department has referred to the National Accountability Bureau 21 cases of embezzlement, involving more than Rs30 million, the Punjab Ad-hoc Public Accounts Committee was informed on Monday.

The transactions between 1993 and 1997 relate to the office of Vehari district health officer.

Maj-Gen Muhammad Akram (retired), the acting PAPAC chairman, is presiding over the four-day meeting which started at the Punjab Assembly building.

The committee reviewed Health Department’s audit report for the year 1997-98. It directed the department to inform the committee about the progress of the case.

The PAC also directed the department to investigate the matter of re-sterilization of disposable syringes by the Medical Store Depot. The committee sought a report in this regard in its next meeting.

The department had informed the PAC that the MSD had provided 5,006 expired disposable syringes to the Drug Testing Laboratory in 1994. The MSD incharge had written a letter to the DTL on Jan 22, 1995, that the syringes were supplied for use after re-sterilization by the Pakistan Radiation Services.

The PAC also directed the department to re-investigate the matter of two official vehicles stolen from Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Hospital, Gujrat, and the Children Hospital, Lahore.

The committee was earlier told that a Toyota Hiace van (GTB 1632) was stolen from the Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Hospital, Gujrat, on June 29, 1995. A Suzuki van (LOG 3719) was stolen from the Children Hospital, Lahore, on Dec 31, 1997.

The department reported that the vehicles had yet not been recovered. It said the officials concerned had not informed the audit and the administrative office of these incidents. After imposing minor penalties on the watchmen, the cases were dispose of.