Financial mismanagement in hospital: KP govt to dissolve BoG of Khalifa Gul Nawaz Hospital Bannu

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has decided to dissolve the Board of Governors (BoG) of Khalifa Gul Nawaz Hospital Bannu following allegations of financial scam involving a huge amount reportedly withdrawn from the hospital bank account.

The provincial health department has ordered a high level inquiry into allegations of misuse of funds and financial mismanagement in the hospital. The Young Doctors Association (YDA) had initially raised the issue and shared documented proofs with journalists, elected representatives, government officials and widely circulated on social media that left the government with no other option but to get rid of the board members.

Special Secretary Health Dr Farooq Jamil had personally visited the hospital and held meetings with different stakeholders and submitted his report to Health Minister Taimur Khan Jhagra. The government and particularly Taimur Jhagra had initially backed the board members and some of their decisions taken for improving patient care, initiating the long-delayed Institutional Based Private Practice (IBP) of the doctors and biometric attendance. Taimur Jhagra, however, withdrew his support from the board members when financial allegations surfaced in the hospital and decided to fairly investigate the matter.

According to sources, Taimur Jhagra has reportedly asked the board members to resign before the government could fire them. “The health minister has made it clear that he would not tolerate financial mismanagement or corruption in his department and therefore decided to replace the entire board,” a government official privy to the issues in the Medical Teaching Institution of Bannu, told The News.

Pleading anonymity, he said the government has decided to constitute new board comprised of professional people. It was second time the government had to replace the Bannu board.

According to officials of the health department, among all the MTIs, Bannu and Nowshera were the most problematic places where public funds are being wasted but patient care had never been improved. Both of the public sector hospitals are stated to be suffering from undue political inference and strong mafias calling the shots there.

In Nowshera, the government had constituted a board comprised of thoroughly professional people, headed by a noted physician and former Dean Khyber Medical College (KMC), Prof Dr Nurul Iman, but some political mafias backed by YDA created uncertainty there that put pressure on the provincial government to dissolve the board.

YDA’s negative role was widely condemned by the health workers for creating instability in Nowshera. When reached, Dr Farooq Jamil told The News that all the board members in Bannu resigned from their positions.

He said an inquiry committee has been constituted to thoroughly investigate the allegations of mismanagement, particularly reports of financial embezzlement in the hospital. He said the government wasn’t happy with the board members for their weak control on financial matters of the teaching hospital.

According to other officials, the government and particularly the health minister were not able to defend the board members when allegations of financial mismanagement were made against the hospital administration.

The issue was raised by the YDA and other doctors when three blank bank cheques of the hospital account for the month of October and November 2021, dully signed by the director finance, were given to the secretary Board of Governors.

The director finance then wrote a letter to the secretary BoG and explained how huge amount was withdrawn from the bank account. The copies of the letter and bank cheques are available with The News. In his letter to secretary BoG, the director finance explained that amounts of Rs4,142,000, Rs2,000,000, and Rs10,00,000, were withdrawn from the hospital bank account.

“This state of affairs is not justified and has shattered our trust which may put all of us in trouble in future. It is, therefore, requested to share the payments of these cheques with both of us on priority and regularise the payments immediately in the interest of all concerned,” the director finance has explained in his letter to the secretary BoG. Dr Farooq Jamil said they were told during the initial investigation by the secretary BoG that they had withdrawn the amount for some purchases during the corona pandemic and some of the amount was latter deposited in the same bank account.

“We told them that there was a proper way of procurement but since I explained these were the preliminary investigations, therefore, I would not be able to share with you all the details. Let’s wait for a detailed inquiry and then I will be able to give you the details,” the special secretary said.