PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) declared an emergency in the health sector and had allocated a huge development budget of Rs67 billion for health sector from 2013-2018. Unfortunately, the provision of available facilities does not justify the budget allocations, said Centre for Governance and Public Accountability (CGPA) at a seminar held in Peshawar.
Community social audit of Takhtbhai Tehsil Headquarter Hospital and Katlang revealed the dismal conditions of health services at tehsil level. The key sanctioned positions of the staff are vacant since long; generators are run on public donations; out of 5 ambulances only one is functional; oxygen cylinders are empty, and no C-section has been carried out in both the hospitals in the last year, it was revealed.
Moreover, the blood bank is dysfunctional; an X-Ray machine worth Rs7 million was never operationalised at Katlang hospital; and OT, gynaecology ward, labour room and children wards do not have heating and cooling systems.
Similarly, a water supply scheme with ADP no 227/100/100 2011-12 was constructed at a cost of Rs576 million in which 31 tube wells were rehabilitated in Mardan. Out of 31 tube wells, 25 were never made operational. Final bills of the tube wells revealed that they are fully constructed and functional.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Ehtesab Commission (EC) Director Colonel (retd) Sardar Ali shared the performance of the EC and said that all branches of investigation wing the commission were almost non-functional due to non-availability of staff. He further informed that out of 82 sanctioned positions, only 15 were filled at officer level.
He also shared that 28 references had been registered till date, 67 enquiries were ongoing and 143 enquiries are on a probe. He added that 1,040 verifications are under process.
He said that KP EC can’t take action on corruption-related issues in ongoing projects or projects which are valued at less than Rs50 million.
KP Information Commission chief Azmat Hanif Orakzai stated that ever since its implementation in the province, the KP right to information (RTI) law is playing a vital role in the social audit of public bodies, particularly the government departments. It’s the next step of the RTI to conduct a social audit, he added.
Health director-general extended his support to the tehsil hospitals and noted the complaints. A committee was formed on the spot to redress the issues and problems revealed in the social audit of the hospitals.
CGPA Executive Director Muhammed Anwar said that corruption in public development schemes was systemic and the trend can’t be arrested until allocation of development is not stopped to MPAs.
