MIANWALI, May 25: The institutions of education and health have gone to dogs in the Mianwali district over the last one year or so thanks to the avarice of those very people who are supposed to remedy the malaise.

A series of scams from embezzlement of millions of rupees in the bulk purchase of medicines that were found out to be spurious and expired to promotion of educationists who had fake academic credentials to appropriation of millions in the General Post Office and establishment of a park on the district courts’ premises in the recent past have been a public tragedy. Though the inquiry reports confirm the allegations, who will penalise the guilty is anybody’s guess.

Back to the health department scam. District Nazim Obaidullah Khan Shadikhel took suo moto action and constituted an inquiry committee, headed by EDO (F&P) Rana Sakhawat Ali Khan, which confirmed that some officials had made money out of the deal of purchase of spurious and expired medicines.

The report remained on the DCO’s table for months and now the newly-posted DCO has sent it to the provincial health secretary. The public is apprehending that the inquiry report might meet the same fate as did previous scams.

According to the current scenario, almost all the state-run hospitals in the district are short of medicines even life-saving drugs which are an integral part of any emergency. As the financial year is drawing to a close, it is learnt, the health department officials have kept their tradition alive and called tenders from pre-qualified firms for purchase of medicines worth Rs20 million.

A few days ago, a purchase committee meeting headed by the DCO approved the purchase despite the fact that the tenders of many companies did not fall under the ambit of pre-qualification.

Sources told Dawn that the surgical instruments for purchase were without samples that was a condition mentioned in the tender notice. Also in contravention of the tender, they said, some distributors mentioned one rate for various medicines of different companies instead of different prices. This made the whole process dubious, they said.

Newly-appointed EDO (Health) Dr Guftar Ahmad Rasheed, sources said, seemed helpless against Ahmad Hassan Qureshi, a dispenser, who had once again been assigned an important post in the purchase section as well as that of storekeeper. He was the man behind the previous scam, they said.

They further told Dawn that essential medicines, including those for gastroenteritis patients, were missing from the purchase list.

Sources said the department was plundering the public money in complicity with the contractors which had previously been granted a contract to supply medicines on a local-purchase basis to all the nine RHCs in the district. The firm supplied the medicines to the RHCs at different rates and made the most of the bargain.

An insider told this correspondent that the incumbent health department officials had adopted the same modus operandi for the purchase of medicines most of which were spurious and had low shelf-life.

EDO Dr Guftar denied the allegation and said he had a limited role in the purchase of medicines which they got according to demands by hospitals. “My office is supposed to play a role of liaison like floating tenders, their acceptance, etc. The payments will be made by the hospitals to the supplier concerned after receipt of medicines and the DTL report.

As for the missing medicines, he said, they would again call tenders for them.

DCO Shafi Babar, upon contact, told this correspondent that he was very cautious over the issue and the current practice would not be followed next year as the medicines would be purchased through the Punjab government. He said the decision had been taken to curb embezzlement.

When District Nazim Obaidullah Khan Shadikhel’s attention was drawn towards the embezzlement, he said he was monitoring the purchase of medicines and directed the EDO to purchase only those medicines that were emergent.

As a custodian of the exchequer, he said, he would not allow any one to involve in any irregularity. He added that the district government was awaiting action from the health secretary against the corrupt officials.

The masses have urged the chief minister and other government functionaries to take stock of the health department’s affairs and order stern action against the wrongdoers.