LAHORE: Scores of employees of the Government Mian Munshi Hospital, Lahore, on Wednesday lodged a strong protest demonstration against hospital’s acting medical superintendent, alleging that he was involved in massive corruption and victimisation of the staff.

They alleged that an office superintendent and a dispenser were ‘facilitators’ of the acting MS.

The employees, holding banners and placards and raising slogans against the acting MS, gathered outside the office of the Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Department Punjab where they also burnt an effigy of the acting MS.

They demanded the department to hold a transparent and neutral inquiry against the three officials after removing them from their respective posts.

The protesters warned if the officials were not removed within two days, they would extend the scope of agitation to other hospitals and stage a sit-in outside the Chief Minister’s Secretariat till their demand was met.

They also blocked the Queens Road for traffic to exert pressure on the health authorities to give them a sympathetic hearing.

They lamented that no action has been taken against the acting MS and his “facilitators” despite provision of “strong evidences” of their alleged corruption to the health department.

An employee said that earlier an inquiry was launched on the basis of the complaints and the “evidences” against the acting MS and the two officials. He alleged that the department’s authorities dumped the inquiry report instead of making it public, adding that dozens of other applications and complaints were also filed later against the three officials, but to no avail.

The protesters told the media persons that the acting MS and his “facilitators” were plundering the public exchequer ruthlessly.

Sharing details of the “evidences” they had submitted to the health department, they said that the acing MS misappropriated at least Rs80 million by showing purchase of tissue wipes.

They further alleged that the purchase of chlorine tablets worth Rs30m was shown on the pretext of providing clean drinking water to patients, despite presence of water filtration plants in the hospital.

The protesters lamented that “the mafia” led by the acting MS shut down government-owned CBC, chemistry analyser, and other machines allegedly to oblige their favorite companies to get kickbacks from them.

They further alleged that the “mafia” managed to shift medicine stock worth millions from one hospital to other and got the fake bills passed against the stock.

The demonstrators contended that the doctor had been holding additional charge of Mian Munshi Hospital MS for the last three years in sheer violation of rules, regulations and policies that disallow additional charge to any official beyond six months period.

They alleged when some staffer of the hospital raised the issue of “massive corruption” by the acting MS and the other two employees, they were victimised and threatened with dire consequences.

The protesters demanded the caretaker chief minister and the health secretary to take notice of these allegations and remove them from their respective positions.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2023