Balochistan health department mired in corruption scandal over missing drugs, inflated purchases

Balochistan [Pakistan], November 2 (ANI): The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Balochistan Assembly sharply criticised the provincial Health Department for failing to address long-standing audit objections related to large-scale corruption, illegal procurements, and the disappearance of medicines from Quetta's Sandeman Provincial Hospital, as reported by Dawn.

According to Dawn, the committee, chaired by Asghar Ali Tareen, reviewed a special audit of Sandeman Provincial Hospital and several related audit paras concerning the Health Department.

The report highlighted alarming financial irregularities, including the illegal purchase of medicines worth PKR 30.02 million, unaccounted drugs valued at PKR 22.83 million, and overpriced oxygen cylinders, which resulted in a loss of PKR 1.34 million to the provincial treasury.

The audit revealed that from 2017 to 2022, medicines worth PKR 30.02 million were procured under questionable circumstances. In several cases, one company received supply orders while another was paid for the goods.

The absence of inspection reports and stock registers further exposed poor oversight. Although the department claimed that Health Tech Quetta, a distributor for Frontier Dactrol Ltd, Peshawar, handled both supply and payment, the PAC rejected the justification as unsatisfactory.

Chairman Tareen expressed frustration that despite eight months passing since directives were issued, no progress had been made.

He warned that officials failing to produce the required records could face removal and criminal charges. Committee members Safia Bibi and Haji Wali Muhammad Noorzai also expressed anger over violations of the Balochistan Public Procurement Rules and urged strict disciplinary action.

The audit uncovered the disappearance of medicines worth PKR 22.83 million from the Civil Hospital Quetta during 2019-20. The records were never updated, reportedly due to a pharmacist's "illness", a claim the committee dismissed, as cited by Dawn.

Oxygen cylinders purchased during the pandemic were found to be priced at PKR 40,000 per unit, far higher than the approved rate of PKR 537.

Identical handwriting on supplier quotations raised serious suspicions of collusion. The PAC gave the Health Department a final one-week deadline to submit all audit records or face referral to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for a comprehensive investigation, as reported by Dawn. (ANI)

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