Abdul Khaliq Qureshi
Abbottabad
Health authorites have seized a huge quantity of medicines which were meant for free distribution to poor patients in public sector Health Care Establishments including BHUs, RHCs and Type-D hospitals of rural areas of Abbottabad district but had been smuggled to Charsadda and other regions for sale in the open market. According to the details, Senior Provincial Drug Inspector Abbottabad, Mehtab Ahmed, other officers of the Health Department and police conducted a raid at General Bus Stand Abbottabad and recovered medicines worth lakhs of rupees stolen from the Main medicine store of District Health Office, Abbottabad.
A source said it was too easy to steal or embezzle medicines form state-run Health Department stores and government hospitals and sell these in the market, but it was difficult to bring culprits to the court of law owing to their strong network. Everyone know this could not have been done without the connivance of some government officials. The case must be properly investigated so that the black sheeps involved in the scandal will be dealt with an Iron hand. The District Health Officer (DHO) , Abbottabad, Doctor Shah Faisal Khanzada had formed a three-member committee comprising Deputy DHO, Doctor Shehzad Iqbal, Drug Inspector Abbottabad, Mehtab Ahmed and DMO IMU (Health) Abbottabad, Shoaib Shah to look into the matter of embezzlement of government medicines and their sale in different districts.
Dr. Faisal said that he has suspended Store keepers on their criminal negligence while the committee is looking into the issue, took into custody evidence and recorded statements of officials concerned and strict disciplinary action will be taken under the Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability (PEEDA) Act 2011 against the elements involved in theft of medicines from his office and they also will be exposed.
