National Health Services (NHS) has identified sixteen officials of the ministry and its attached departments in violation of rules.

Senate standing committee on National Health Services (NHS) has identified sixteen officials of the ministry and its attached departments working on senior positions in violation of rules, The Nation learnt on Saturday.

According to the document available with The Nation, six­teen officials of the ministry of National Health Services and its attached depart­ments have been accused of working on current positions in violation of rules.

The list prepared by Senator Sardar Shafiq Tareen and pre­sented in the Senate committee of National Health Services include the positions of Director General (DG) ministry of NHS, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) DRAP, Executive Director (ED) Pakistan Institute of Med­ical Sciences (PIMS), ED Poly­clinic Hospital, Registrar Sha­heed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU) and regis­trar PMDC.

Other positions include ED NIRM, Medical Directorate, Federal General Hospital, ED NIH/PMRC/HOTA, ED NIPS, DG NHEPRN, Deputy Nation­al Manager, EPI, VC Health Ser­vices Academy (HSA), Principal FMDC and Associate Professor, radiology.

According to the document, DG Health is Grade-19 officer and on deputation for the last six years but is working on BS-20 scale. Similarly CEO DRAP is scale 19 officer and working on BS-21 position, ED PIMS is on look after charge of BS-21 against the ruling of SC, ED Pol­yclinic is Scale-17 officer and working on BS-20, DG NHEPRN is BS-21 officer and working on BS-20 position, positions of reg­istrars in PMDC and SZABMU are being run on look after ba­sis.

The document produced by Senator Sardar Shafiq Tareen further claims that ED NIRM is BS-19 officer and holding posi­tion of BS-20, MD FGH is BS-18 and working on the position of BS-19, ED NIH deputation has expired but still holding the positions of ED NIH, (Bs-20), PMRC (BS-21) and HOTA BS-21.

“ED NIPS is BS-20 post being run by BS-22 officer, a junior of­ficer is looking after the charge of deputy NPM , VC HAS is ac­cused in Epherdrine case, FMDC principal is on look after charge while AP radiology PIMS was illegally appointed,” senator Shafiq Tareen said.

The senator informed the committee that despite repeat­ed requests to the ministry it did not provide relevant infor­mation about the appointments and he himself worked and gathered all informations.

Senator Behramand Tangi said that health officials have misguided the House by not providing relevant informations about appointments and post­ings in the ministry.

Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq said the ministry was running such large scale departments on ad-hoc basis which itself was damaging the performance of the health sector.

The Chairperson of the Com­mittee Senator Khushbakht Shujaat said that earlier a priv­ilege motion was moved against the secretary and the SAPM on NHS for not answering to the relevant questions asked by senators on merit-based ap­pointments.

The senators recommended forming a committee to discuss the appointments issue in the ministry and its attached de­partments after seeking details from the ministry.

Secretary ministry of NHS Aamir Ashraf Khawaja respond­ing to the senators’ queries said, “The ministry has shortage of officials and it takes officers on deputation from provinces to run hospitals and departments.”

He said that four hospitals were in federal capital and min­istry was working hard to take them at excellent level in ser­vice delivery to the public. He said the ministry would provide all details of the officials to the member of committee before next meeting of the committee.

The committee recommend­ed to discuss one point agenda of postings and appointments in its next meeting.

The article is originally published at The Nation.