PESHAWAR, Sept 12: Financial irregularities have been detected at the Khyber Teaching Hospital.
Sources said that about three months ago, the administration of the province’s second biggest hospital auctioned discarded equipment. But the party offering the highest bid amounting to Rs3.2million was denied the right to buy the equipment allegedly because its representatives were reluctant to grease the palms of officials concerned.
The bidding was cancelled and the same machinery was handed over to another party offering only Rs1.15million. Subsequently, the hospital purchased sub-standard new equipment from a local firm, some of which have already developed faults gone into disuse in just two months.
Sources said that the hospital’s air-conditioning plant, still functioning improperly, was repaired for Rs12.5million. An inquiry committee also held the hospital administration and maintenance staff responsible for the faulty air-conditioning plant, but no action was taken.
The sources said that last year, the government had detected an embezzlement of Rs9.2million in the hospital’s laboratory, forcing the government to restrict free diagnostic facilities.
Sources claimed that the medical superintendent and deputy medical superintendents had been running the hospital for the past several years on their whims.
The medical superintendent of the hospital, Dr Khushdil Khan, rejected these charges and said that all contracts were awarded according to government rules and said he did not know about any misappropriation in laboratory.
The worst sufferers are patients who need drugs the most.
Sources said that hospital authorities bought drugs from quality manufacturing firms, but medicines supplied to the main store were of lowest grade. Recently, doctors lodged a complaint with the administration that drips being administered to patients were causing shivering because of contamination.
“The hospital is buying medicines close to expiry. The hospital authorities are pushing the hospital staff to use up the stock,” said a doctor. He said that most of the drugs supplied from the hospital store were so poor in quality that its packaging would tell the story.
The contract for distribution of Zakat medicine among poor patients has been awarded to a hospital employee, sources said. They said that poor patients had to walk at least a kilometre to get the Zakat medicine from the store.
According to sources, the hospital administration should hold auction for the contract of car-parking and a kiosk every year according to prescribed rules, but for the past few years, these contracts had been allotted to the same contractor without advertising them in regional newspapers.
Sources said that authorities were yet to auction the hospital cafeteria and customer service centre, which according to rules should have been contacted out by July 1. The contract had expired on June 10 and people suffer because of non-availability of a cafeteria or customer service centre.
Sources said that lately the authorities had made several junior cadre appointments without advertising the same in the press. They said that for the first time in the history of the hospital, about 100 trees were cut and sold at throwaway prices.
Dr Khushdil, said that they had followed government rules in running hospital affairs, adding that the hospital had some flaws but they were of minor nature.