Two Civil Hospital employees booked as embezzlement in cancer medicines unearthed

The Eidgah police have registered a case against two officials of the Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) who were involved in embezzlement of cancer medicines worth Rs360 million.

Police said the FIR was lodged against the two hospital employees, Niaz Ahmed Khaskheli and Iqbal Ahmed Channa, on the complaint of Medical Superintendent (MS) Dr Syed Muhammad Khalid after Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho took notice of irregularities in the distribution of cancer medicines.

Police said they received a complaint from Dr Khalid who said he had been serving as the MS of the CHK since August 23, 2023.

He said that after his posting, he started receiving complaints of shortage of cancer medicines, to which he appointed a committee to inquire into the issue.

The inquiry committee found that Khaskheli, incharge of tablet and injection receiving section at the CHK, and Channa, staff nurse and assistant incharge of the medical section, had been posted in the above section since 2017 and they embezzled 76,000 tablets of cancer medicines ELBONIX 50mg and PALBONIX 125mg worth Rs360 million in a period between February 17, 2023 and September 26, 2023 with the connivance of other associates. As a result, the medicines could not be provided to cancer patients.

The MS stated that further record of the medicine store was being checked to see if more embezzlement had taken place.

The case was registered against the two suspects under the sections 409 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code.