QUETTA: Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani on Saturday suspended an official of the Medical Store Department (MSD), Balochistan, over concealing surgical masks and testing kits, despite the health emergency in the province following the virus pandemic.

The chief minister, who also holds the portfolio of health, took notice of reports about Additional Director MSD Dr Zulfiqar Ali Baloch’s activities and ordered to suspend his services for his negligence in not providing surgical masks and testing kits to the staff working in isolation wards at different hospitals.

The provincial health department then issued a notification about the suspension.

“Despite having a large quantity of masks and testing kits in the MSD, Dr Zulfiqar deliberately concealed the details of the available medical supplies and didn’t provide them to the staff,” said Ali Shahwani, spokesman for the Balochistan government.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2020