MULTAN, Dec 2: A number of doctors have succeeded in securing promotions into next grades by tampering with their adverse annual confidential reports (ACRs), allegedly with the help of some Punjab health department authorities.

Several doctors have been promoted to grade 18, 19 and 20 recently. The departmental promotion committee recommends the cases of health officials in grade 17 while the provincial selection board promotes grade 18 and above officers.

Some senior health officers, on the request of anonymity, told Dawn that they were surprised to see some names in the lists of promoted doctors whose last four or five ACRs bore adverse remarks.

A former director of health services has, in a letter written to the Punjab chief secretary and the health secretary, pointed out one instance of the promotion of a gynaecologist of Dera Ghazi Khan DHQ hospital into grade 19.

The reporting officer had been giving adverse remarks on the ACR of the gynaecologist for the last six years. A minor penalty was also imposed on her by the authorized officer under E&D rules through letter No 10364/PO/DG, dated 10.10.98.

Another Dera Ghazi Khan-based doctor, at present awaiting posting as OSD in Lahore, was promoted to grade 20 last week. He has two Efficiency and Discipline (E&D) and as many corruption cases against him and facing trial in a court of law. At present, he is on bail.

Adverse remarks had been given on the ACRs of a senior official of the Communicable Disease Control wing, who was promoted to grade 20.

A gynaecologist of the Multan Civil Hospital, facing an E&D case, was promoted to grade 18.

A senior doctor of the Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Rahim Yar Khan, and another senior doctor of Sialkot DHQ Hospital were promoted to grade 20 despite adverse ACRs.

Adverse remarks had been given on the ACRs of a Multan-based doctor promoted to grade 19. A former additional MS of a Dera Ghazi Khan hospital, facing an E&D case, was promoted to grade 20.

A health department official said that the matter of tampering with ACRs was brought to the notice of the high-ups, but they delayed action till the promotion of their ‘cronies’. Later, letters were written to reporting officers to verify their signatures on the ACRs which had been tampered with to cheat the provincial selection board. He said the authorities did not bother to confirm the ACRs from the reporting officers before granting promotions to officials having adverse remarks. “This has deprived the deserving officials of their due promotions,” he added.