LAHORE: The Punjab government has initiated disciplinary proceedings under the Punjab Employees Efficiency and Discipline and Accountability (PEEDA) Act 2006 against former medical superintendent (MS) of the Govt Kot Khawaja Saeed Teaching Hospital, Dr Ahmad Nadeem, and five other officials for making fake entry of the Covid-19 vaccination in the name of PML-N supremo and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif when he was in fact in London.

The other officials included former additional medical superintendent (emergency) of the hospital, Dr Munir Ahmad, ex-charge nurse Saba Riaz, ex-stenographer Rana Muzafar, ex-receipt clerk Naveed Altaf and ex-ward attendant Adil Rafique.

Reported in September 2021, the issue attracted attention of the power corridors and media coverage when the Covid-19 was at its peak and it was claimed that Nawaz had received the first dose of the vaccine in the hospital. At that time, he was living (in London).

“The chief minister Punjab/the competent authority, in due consideration of the facts and the recommendations contained in the probe report furnished by a committee on Sept 23, 2021 is of the consideration opinion that there are sufficient grounds to hold joint inquiry proceedings against the officials under Section 3 of the PEEDA Act 2006,” reads the official document.

It said the CM appointed Religious Affairs & Auqaf Department Secretary Mian Abrar Ahmad as an inquiry officer with the directions to complete the probe within the stipulated period of 60 days against the officials mentioned above.

A summary for action against the former MS and other officials suspended from service was sent to the CM through a letter and he approved it for further action.

While defining the role of the former MS, the official letter held him responsible for the fake entry of the vaccination. He was also accused of multiple discrepancies reported in the record of vaccination as no checks and balances had been put in place to ensure legitimate and genuine manual and online entries of administration of the Covid-19 vaccination.

No reconciliation of vaccination data was available in the hospital to ensure transparency, the letter said and added: “Due to this slackness and careless attitude on your part, the department has been put into an embarrassing situation and this act on your part amounts to misconduct,” the letter said. He was further accused of posting inefficient staff in the vaccination room to execute the process of the immunisation and online data entry of Covid vaccination.

“You assigned the highly sensitive and important task of immunization to the ward servant and chowkidar of the hospital,” reads the letter.

Dr Munir (the former additional MS) was also accused of all the allegations that were leveled against the ex-MS of the hospital in addition to his negligence to monitor the record of the immunisation as the AMS of the hospital.

“You didn’t monitor the record of immunization of the persons who got vaccination at UC level meaning thereby that there could be many possibilities of aberrations of missing record,” reads the official letter.

The government also held directly responsible to the ex-charge nurse Saba Riaz, another main person involved in issuing the fake Covid certificate of the former premier.

The government made some serious allegations against her, declaring them sufficient to initiate proceedings against her under the PEEDA Act.

“You while working in the hospital involved in making a fake entry of the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccination administered to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, thus you are liable for disciplinary proceedings under the PEEDA Act 2006 (sic),” reads the letter.

The government alleged that the then charge nurse had maneuvered and wrongfully administered vaccine to Nawaz by tampering with the official record of the hospital in connivance with her colleagues.

The inquiry findings further blamed that the irresponsible attitude of the then charge nurse the department had put the system in an embarrassing situation and her act had amounted to misconduct.

“You are thus responsible for the grave negligence that may give rise to mistrust among the masses who hope for getting vaccinated at the public sector hospitals to protect themselves from the attack of the deadly virus of Covid-19 vaccine,” reads the report.

Similarly, the other employees of the hospital, including ex-receipt clerk Naveed Altaf and ex-ward servant Adil Rafique were held guilty of charges, including making the fake entry of the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine to Nawaz and maneuvering the record.

The Punjab government suspended the medical superintendent and senior medical officer of the hospital from service on Sept 23, 2021 while the FIA had registered a case against two employees of the hospital, guard Abdul Hassan and ward attendant Adil Rafique.

Published in Dawn, January 16th, 2023