ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services (NHS) expressed concerns over the appointment of ineligible individuals within the Ministry of NHS and its ancillary departments.

The committee meeting was chaired by Muttahida Qaumi Movement Senator Khushbakht Singh and attended by senators and representatives from the ministry and its departments.

Independent Senator Shafique Tareen said a number of ministry officials hold more than one charge and, in some cases, an officer has five different charges.

He added: “A number of posts have been given to irrelevant and undeserving officers. Moreover, officers of Basic Pay Scale (BPS) 18, have been working on posts of BPS 20. the director general health came on deputation from Punjab and has been working for the last six years despite the fact that the rules clearly say that no one can serve on deputation over five years.”

“A dentist cannot become the head of a teaching hospital but the charge of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) has been given to a dentist. The post of Polyclinic executive director (ED) should be filled by an admin cadre officer, but a gynaecologist has been appointed Polyclinic ED.

“Doctors with questionable degrees have been working at the National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine. The executive director the National Institute of Health Maj Ten Aamer Ikram has been working on his post despite the fact that the tenure of his deputation has been completed,” Senator Tareen said.

PML-N Senator Asad Ashraf alleged that the Pims executive director was heading five departments, adding that permanent heads should be appointed.

PPP Senator Bahramand Tangi said that a junior officer has been appointed head of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan, while PTI Senator Meher Taj Roghani asked about one person having three charges and whether there is a shortage of competent officials.

Senator Roghani also asked why imported drugs were unavailable in the market and being sold in the black.

Earlier, Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party Senator Usman Kakar criticised the absence of the NHS secretary at the committee meeting, and was told by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on NHS Dr Faisal Sultan that he would ensure the secretary attends the next meeting.

Jamaat-i-Islami Senator Mushtaq Ahmed raised the issue of the coronavirus pandemic, alleging that the government and ministry failed to deal with it. He said quarantine facilities should have been established as soon as the first case was reported in China.

Dr Sultan said that the situation regarding Covid-19 was improving in Pakistan, adding that the whole team learned a lot from the pandemic.

MNAs visit Pims

MNAs Raja Khurram Nawaz and Ali Nawaz Awan visited Pims on Wednesday and asked people present there about difficulties they had faced in receiving treatment.

Pims Executive Director Dr Ansar Maxood said all possible steps are being taken to provide patients with the best treatment.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2020