SHC directs NICVD to justify appointment of acting COO

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has directed the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases to justify the appointment of its acting chief operating officer (COO) being a contract employee.

The direction came on a petition challenging the appointment of the acting COO of the NICVD.

The petitioner submitted that being a contract employee, respondent Dr Wasif Shahzad could not hold the position which was to be filled with a regular employee of the organisation through promotion.

The petitioner’s counsel referred to credentials of the petitioner stating that he was working in Grade 19, was on the top in seniority and deserved to be appointed as the COO.

He said the contract of the respondent was illegally reviewed in view of regulations of the NICVD.

The counsel submitted that the post of the COO was vacant since 2023, but the institute publically advertised the said post on August 22, 2024. Against the same, the petitioner was shortlisted but his name was not finalized, the SHC was informed.

He said the respondent was appointed as a management consultant on a contractual basis for a period of one year but despite the expiry of the contract, the respondent’s chief executive extended the contract without referring the matter to the governing body and obtaining its approval.

The SHC was requested to declare that the appointment of the acting COO was illegal and restrain him from performing duties as the management consultant and acting COO.

A counsel for the NICVD filed power on the petition and the head of human resources did not dispute the fact that the respondent was a contract employee and working as the acting COO of the hospital.

A division bench of the high court headed by Justice Mohammad Faisal Kamal Alam granted two weeks to the NICVD management to justify the appointment of the acting COO and file comments on the petition.

The SHC observed that after filing of comments, the petition would be considered on merits.

It is pertinent to mention that another petition is also pending before the SHC, in which the appointment of the NICVD executive director on a contractual basis has been challenged.

The petitioners, Asadullah and others, submitted in the petition that the provincial government appointed Prof. Tahir Saghir as the NICVD executive director on a contractual basis for four years in November 2023.

They submitted that the office of the Sindh audit director general had issued an audit inspection report of the NIVCD for the period 2023-24, in which numerous malpractices and irregularities had been pointed out.

They said the audit inspection report mentioned irregular and unjustified appointment of the head of administration under grade 18, unjustified payments of salary to employees without any entries, improper services of human resources departments, irregularities in trading process, irregular procurement on account of medicines and unjustified financial burden to the government due to irregular creation of liability amongst others that caused huge financial losses to the government and the institution.