Four held as ACE officials raid Nowshera hospital

NOWSHERA: The officials of Anti-Corruption Establishment on Thursday raided the Medical Teaching Institute of Qazi Hussain Ahmad Complex and arrested four doctors after registration of cases against 14 doctors and ministerial staff for alleged malpractices, including illegally recruiting and promoting blue-eyed persons in the hospital.

A team of ACE headed by Assistant Director Tufail Khan and circle officer Saeed Gul raided the QHAC-MTI and arrested member Board of Governors Dr Jehangir Khan, Dr Nizam Darvesh, Superintendent Humayun Khan and Assistant Farooq Ahmad on the spot.

Taking prior permission from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry for the raid, the team also registered cases against 14 doctors and others, including Dr Niaz Ali, Dr Khalid Khan, Dr Zahid, Muhammad Sharif, Shah Hussain, Sardar Ali, Shakir Khan, Ahmad Zeb and Majid Khan, for their alleged involvement in malpractices.

After registration of cases, Dr Niaz Ali, Majid Khan, Shah Hussain, Shakir Khan and Ahmad Zeb obtained bail before arrest from the sessions court while the arrested four accused were produced in the court of Civil Judge cum Judicial Magistrate Muhammad Farooq, who handed over the accused to the police on one-day physical remand.

AD Tufail said that an investigation was started against the accused in 2019 for illegal recruitment, promotions and other wrongdoings in which all the allegations were found to be true.He claimed that Dr Jehangir had recruited his whole family, including his daughter, son and son-in-law and they were prematurely promoted as well.

Similarly, he said that hospital director Dr Arif was also found involved in nepotism and recruitment for money. He added that Dr Nizam Darvesh, Dr Niaz Ali, Dr Khalid and Dr Zahid were included in the committees, who had done illegal recruitment of assistants and doctors, who had medical degrees from cities in Afghanistan where there were no medical universities or colleges.