LARKANA, Oct 7: A monitoring team of People’s Primary Healthcare Initiative (PPHI) raided two private clinics in Naudero and seized medicines bearing their seal meant to be dispensed in government hospitals free of cost.

Executive Monitoring Officer Naveed Akhtar Sial said that the team on a tip-off raided the clinic run by Khair Mohammed Soomro, a dispenser of the Basic Health Unit, Khanwah, on Tuesday. He remained absent from his official duty but was found practicing at his private clinic and selling government medicines. He not only stole medicines but also brought medical instruments from the BHU and kept a wireless phone to deceive callers as if he was on official duty. Medicines worth thousands of rupees were recovered from the private clinic of Hakeem Mushtaq Soomro who claimed Khair Mohammed Soomro of selling these to him.

The monitoring officer told Dawn that the PPHI managers were continuously receiving information about the misuse of government medicines.

On Monday the team had discovered that the paramedics in collusion with doctors at Basic Health Unit, Dhamraho, were charging fees for handling deliveries.

The lady health volunteers present confessed to charging Rs2,000 per delivery after office time. The doctor had permitted them to carry on the practise after duty hours.