Staff Reporter :
National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested three accused including the additional director health for their involvement in Rs. 400 million in a corruption case. The accused had inflicted a financial loss of Rs. 400 M to the national exchequer in the purchase of injections for government-run hospitals in the province.
The accused received the amount in advance and showed the purchase only in papers. “Zero tolerance for corrupt people”, the Director-General NAB Balochistan, Farmanullah Khan said.
NAB Balochistan arrests 3 accused involved in Rs. 400 million corruption
NAB team arrested the additional director health, Dr. Zulfiqar Ali Baloch, medical technician, and proprietor Ali Omar enterprises, Khalid Bhatti and Faqeer Hussain. “Those plundering national wealth would not be spared”, Mr. Khan stated.
NAB would produce the accused before the accountability court to seek remand. The embezzlement of Rs. 400 million uncovered in one item only. “We are trying to expand the investigation”, the DG NAB informed.
Government-run hospitals across Balochistan paint a bleak picture. Deserving and needy patients face difficulties in getting medicines in the largest government hospitals including the Bolan Medical Complex Hospital and Civil Hospital. Almost all dialysis machines in civil hospital Quetta are out of order for the last few months. Despite repeated appeals to the concerned quarters, dialysis machines have not been provided, a doctor in the Nephrology ward of the hospital told the daily Quetta Voice. He requested anonymity.
Substantial budget for healthÂ
The Balochistan government allocated over 30 billion rupees for the health sector during the current financial budget. The government has decided to improve health facilities in all government hospitals in the post-corona situation, Liaquat Shahwani, the Spokesman government of Balochistan said.
Irregularities and rampant cases of corruption compound problems of the masses. The government-run hospitals in all districts of Balochistan paint a grim picture. There are no doctors in far-flung areas of the province,