ISLAMABAD, March 11: The Ministry of Women Development, Social Welfare and Special Education distributed bulk of substandard medicines and micro-nutrients among five to twelve- year-old girls under the Tawana Pakistan Programme (TPP), official documents reveal.

The medicines and micro-nutrients had been provided by the Unicef. The programme was launched during the tenure of former federal minister Dr Attiya Inayatullah and former secretary of the ministry, Parveen Qadir Agha, in technical and supervisory collaboration with the Agha Khan University (AKU).

Official documents, which have been sent to President Gen Musharraf, reveal that distribution of Albendazole medicine and micro-nutrients was stopped after the National Institute of Health (NIH) found them substandard. However, their distribution was stopped only after the “bulk of medicines” had been distributed to project districts and schools.

The documents reveal that the TPP management purchased 93,820 packets of micro-nutrients and 21,200 packets of Albendazole tablets through Unicef without testing their quality that caused a wasteful expenditure of Rs8.5 million to the national exchequer.

The Rs3.6 billion project was aimed at improving the educational and nutritional status of some half a million 5-12 year-old girls in 5,000 primary schools of 29 poverty-ridden districts.

According to the ministry, only a small quantity of substandard medicine and micro-nutrients was now lying with the National Implementation Unit.

The documents show that Agha Khan University, the technical and supervisory implementing partner of Tawana Pakistan programme, “regretted to carry out the tests (to check the standard of the drugs) as they did not have any such facility”.

The samples were sent for testing after a school committee in Pak Pattan district of Punjab reported that “immediately after taking dozes of micro-nutrients and Albendazole tablets girls experienced stomach problems and vomiting”.

When the samples of the medicines were sent to the NIH, the Drug Control and Traditional Medicine Division of the institute reported that “the samples of medicines were substandard”.

“Since then the micro-nutrients and Albendazole tablets are lying in the store and no further action has been taken. Thus the amount of Rs8.25 million spent on import of micro-nutrients has gone waste,” the initial government inquiry into the matter concluded.

The ministry, while trying to defend its position, claimed that the decision to procure the de-worming medicines through Unicef was taken “with a view to ensuring transparency, quality and timely supply”.

The ministry claimed that the MoU with Unicef, headed by Carol Bellamy at that time, was signed on October 27, 2002. With the approval of the then secretary, Parveen Qadir Agha, an order was placed for 12,320 packets of micro-nutrients and 2,800 packets of de-worming medicine (Albendazole) for which a sum of Rs6.98 million was released by a cheque through Pakistan Baitul Mal.

“The bulk of these medicines has been distributed to project district schools and only a small quantity is lying in store with the NIU,” said the ministry. However, “in the light of the test report of NIH, the medicines were substandard and thus further distribution was stopped,” said the ministry.

Official documents show that in addition to the provision of substandard drugs, the Rs3.6 billion TPP was plagued with leakage of funds, payment of extra salaries to officials of the ministry of social welfare and special education ministry and MD of Pakistan Baitul Mal in addition to award of contracts in non- transparent ways and irregular purchase of mobile telephones and vehicles.

The initial inquiry of the project reveals that a Rs536.08 million contract was given to the Agha Khan University (AKU) to provide technical oversight and technical assistance in violation of government rules.

The then federal secretary for women development, Parveen Qadir Agha, and President AKU, Dr Shams Kasim Lakha, signed the contract on behalf of their respective organizations which the initial inquiry said “did not safeguard the interest of the government”.

The inquiry has revealed that instead of getting some security deposit from the AKU, the MoU provided that the ministry would pay a mobilisation advance of Rs47 million to the university that was to be retained by it throughout the project. Moreover, high rates of salary amounting to Rs744,000 per month were allowed for the project facilitator without stipulating any terms of reference.

The agreement did not provide any clause to safeguard the loss to government in case of any default by the AKU and termination of MoU by the university though the ministry accepted the terms that it shall adjust the mobilisation advances given to the AKU in case the ministry defaulted on payments.

Documents reveal that the university did not carry out some of the tasks in time, as the ministry did not put any punitive clause in the favourable agreement it had signed with the contractor (AKU).

The ministry, while signing the agreement in contravention of the CDWP decision that AKU would work on actual cost basis, also agreed that the university administrative costs shall be 14.7 per cent of the aggregate of the fixed cost and direct cost incurred at any time during the currency of the project, and the ministry will pay the same.