DADU, Jan 22: The civil surgeon of Dadu Civil Hospital on Tuesday stopped issuing medical fitness certificates to the candidates who had received appointment letters for jobs in Education Department after the EDO failed to confirm if the letters carrying his signature were genuine.

The department continued to issue appointment letters in back dates even on Tuesday despite a ban on new recruitments during elections process.

Civil Surgeon Dr Syed Ghous Ali Shah stopped doctors and chief RMO from issuing any more certificates till a responsible officer of education took responsibility for the letters. About 200 male and female candidates who visited the hospital on Tuesday for getting certificates had to return empty-handed.

The hospital’s chief medical officer Dr Dost Mohammad Bughio said that 3,000 medical certificates had been issued so far while over 2,000 were in process but the EDO had still not replied to the hospital administration’s queries about the letters.Dr Shah complained to the DCO Aijaz Ahmed Mangi during his visit to hospital that the department was not cooperating with regard to issuance of appointment orders and the DCO reportedly assured him that he would call the EDO.

When contacted the EDO Prof Jalil Ahmed Akhund denied he had received any letter from the hospital administration inquiring whether the letters were genuine.

About his signature and the department’s official stamp on the letters he said he did not know about who was using his sign and official stamp. “I am not involved in the issuance of letters,” he claimed.

The regional director of the office of provincial ombudsman, Saeed Khan Mubejo, has taken notice of the issuance of hundreds of appointment orders in education department and asked the Civil Hospital to provide him record of medical fitness certificates.

He said that the department had issued around 5,000 appointment orders for jobs in grade-4 to 16 and Rs50,000 to Rs100,000 had been received for each order as bribe. He had received around 500 such complaints during last three months, which he had sent to the provincial ombudsman, he said.

Sources in the department said that only 600 posts were vacant in the district, which would be filled after elections as the recruitment during the polls was illegal.

Anti-polio drive: DCO Aijaz Ahmed Mangi launched anti-polio campaign in the district on Tuesday by administering polio drops to children in the Civil Hospital.

The EDO of Health Dr Dhani Bux Thebo told journalists that 822 teams had been formed to administer polio drops to 244,572 children during three days.