MULTAN, Feb 1: The Punjab Health Department has yet to recover Rs11 million pointed out by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) as overpayment by the District Health Officers (DHOs) in the province during the fiscal year 1988-89.
PAC-II chairman Sardar Ashiq Hussain Gupang had detected large-scale irregularities in the local purchase of equipments and furniture when he compared the expenditure statements of Dera Ghazi Khan DHO office with 31 Punjab districts. He found a huge difference of rates between local purchases made by then Dera DHO Dr Iqbal Khan and the inflated rates submitted by other DHOs.
On his directions, eight divisional committees comprising health services assistant director and divisional auditors of the respective divisions were constituted for the audit across the province. These committees detected overpayment of Rs11.9 million in the local purchase head of districts other than Dera Ghazi Khan. The department asked the DHOs concerned to deposit the amounts they overpaid in local purchases.
A review committee was constituted when DHOs appealed against the recoveries. The committee comprising then Rahim Yar Khan DHQ Hospital’s MS Dr Abdul Qadir, then health deputy secretary (development) Pervaiz Sultan and then health department auditor MH Shamshad had drastically reduced the embezzled amount to Rs2.72 million. Health department sources alleged that the review committee’s conduct was not transparent.
The health department could recover only Rs0.61 million from the corrupt officials.
The PAC-II and two inquiry committees also recommended disciplinary action against the officials found guilty of the misappropriation of funds. But no action has so far been taken against the corrupt officials.
In 1998, then health secretary Muhammad Ismail Qureshi constituted a four-member committee to find the authenticity of calculation of Rs11.9 million recovery, justifications/modalities for the recoverable amount’s reduction to Rs2.7 million, status of the reduction approval and position of the disciplinary action against the officials.
The last committee found loss to the exchequer was even more than the findings of the divisional committees. However, the health department authorities have hushed up the matter, ignoring directions of PAC and departmental inquiry committees.
DEPRIVED: A trader alleged that four policemen had deprived him of Rs18,200 in cash while searching him at a busy city intersection in broad daylight on Tuesday last.
Ziaur Rehman (60) filed a plaint to the Multan district police office that he was passing by the Arts Council on the MDA Road at about 1pm by his car (RND-2211) when four policemen riding on two motorcycles signalled him to stop. Taking him on gunpoint, he said the policemen searched him and his car thoroughly. Besides, they also opened his briefcase and allegedly picked away an envelope containing Rs18,200 in cash.
The complainant alleged the first two of them left the spot on a motorcycle while the remaining two had kept him on pistol point for a shortwhile and later they also drove away.
The DPO directed the DSP (headquarters) to probe the matter who summoned the four policemen in his office. Although the complainant had identified the officials, the DSP gave them a week to tender their reply regarding the allegation.
The complainant has however termed it a tactic to delay the justice.