Financial scam becomes a challenge for KTH admin

PESHAWAR: A financial scandal in the Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) has become a challenge for the hospital administration and the provincial Health Department as the faculty and other staff members want an external high-level inquiry committee to probe and expose powerful elements reportedly involved in it.

The KTH administration has announced an internal inquiry committee after the scandal was reported that a woman computer operator had deposited millions of hospital funds in her personal bank account.

The hospital administration initially used some delaying tactics and wanted to hush up the issue and that was the reason for avoided taking action against the culprit.

However, later when the media highlighted the scandal, the provincial government took notice and the KTH administration had to announce an inquiry committee to probe the matter.

The woman computer operator was suspended and the so-called internal committee reportedly started working.

Sources in KTH told The News that besides the woman computer operator, some other people were also involved in the scam but they pressured the lady not to divulge their names.

“I heard a KTH staff member talking to someone on cellphone, believed to be the same lady computer operator, and was repeatedly assuring her of his cooperation. He told the other person not to be scared of the inquiry and never change your initial statement,” said an official of the hospital.

KTH spokesman Farhad Khan said the hospital administration had formed an internal committee to probe anomalies.

He said the hospital administration had suspended the woman computer operator after the scandal surfaced.

The spokesman said besides the KTH internal committee, the Health Department had also announced an external committee and it would start investigating the matter. He said the KTH Board of Governors had convened its meeting for October 23.