Latest news with #NisarKhuro
Express Tribune
12-05-2025
- Health
- Express Tribune
Red flag on 'spurious' medicines purchase
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Sindh Assembly has ordered an audit of the Provincial Health Department's medicine procurement worth billions of rupees amid concerns of purchase of sub-standard medicines. The Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) has been directed to provide technical staff to the Director General of Audit, Sindh for the audit. The PAC meeting was held in the committee room on Monday with Nisar Khuro in the chair. The meeting reviewed the audit paras of the Sindh Health Department for the 2018 and 2019. Committee members Qasim Siraj Soomro, Taha Ahmed, Rehan Rajput, Secretary Health Rehan Baloch, and other officials attended the meeting. The meeting raised a question about the the mechanism for medicine procurement and the criteria for awarding contracts to companies. Health secretary informed that medicine procurement is done through a procurement committee via tendering process. The PAC ordered an audit of the health department's medicine procurement worth billions of rupees. During the discussion on audit paras related to the chief drug inspector, committee member Qasim Soomro asked about the actions taken against unregistered and substandard medicines and why medical stores, found selling such medicines, were not sealed. Chief Drug Inspector Hafeez Tunio informed the PAC that drug inspectors, along with FIA teams, had taken action against spurious and unregistered medicines in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, and Mirpurkhas, and 25 FIRs had been registered during the past five months. However, he stated that the authority to seal medical stores lies with the District Health Officers (DHOs). Health secretary informed the PAC that the Quality Control Board of the department gives approval for lodging FIRs against those found selling unregistered and spurious medicines, and the board has been made fully functional. The PAC ordered the sealing of medical stores found selling substandard and unregistered medicines and cancellation of their licences. The PAC also directed the department to intensify the crackdown against such medicines across Sindh. Furthermore, the PAC ordered an inquiry into the performance of drug inspectors across the province. The officials of the health department failed to provide audit records worth Rs6 billion, to which PAC expressed displeasure and directed the records be provided within two months.
Express Tribune
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Afghans 'illegally occupy' flats built for workers
In a baffling disclosure that left the public funds spending watchdog incensed, officials confessed to spending billions of rupees on the repairs and maintenance of illegally occupied government apartments. The Works and Services Department was spending huge funds for the upkeep of flats built for workers although 70 per cent of these units were forcibly occupied by Afghan immigrants and criminal elements. The illegal immigrants had not only usurped the rights of the poor workers but have been enjoying free maintenance from taxes paid by the locals. The Sindh government was helpless in evicting the rogue squatters. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has taken notice of this issue and ordered an investigation into the matter. On Monday, the PAC met under the chairmanship of Nisar Khuro in the Sindh Assembly committee room. The PAC reviewed the audit paras of the Works and Services Department from 2018 to 2021. The Director General Audit raised objections on spending on government flats in Landhi, saying that the Works Department had spent billions of rupees on repairs of these occupied flats. PAC Chairman Khuro expressed outrage and questioned the department as to why the govt's properties worth billions of rupees had not been retrieved from unauthorised occupants. Chief Engineer Works Building informed the PAC that the govt had purchased 321 flats for govt employees in Landhi through the Govt's Estate Agency and Pakistan Housing Authority. However, 30 per cent of the work on these flats, including the kitchen, had not been completed, and the amount was spent on completion and repairs. He added that 70 per cent of the govt flats were occupied by Afghans and criminals, while the remaining flats were allocated to government employees.
