By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Aamir Ashraf Khawaja, Federal Secretary of Health, is about to get the axe for allegedly godfathering a slew of malpractices that nearly maimed the medical regulatory authority, sources said.
“Abdul Qadir Patel, Minister of National Health Services Regulations & Coordination, has finally decided to remove Secretary Health after a war of words,” credible sources in the ministry told Independent Pakistan.
According to sources, Khawaja has been continuously abetting the misconducts of Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC), formerly Pakistan Medical & Dental Association (PMDC).
Sector officials dubbed it as a long-overdue curative surgery as bitter pills had stopped working.
“This operation was necessary to cut this bureaucratic rot out of the system, which is dying slowly,” an official said.
In this case complacency would be tantamount to blindfolding your eyes, plugging your ears, and taping your mouth because it was just the tip of the iceberg as the system was replete with cancers like these from head to heels, another official said.
“Recently PMC hired members of finance, law and administration, education, examination, and human resource at exorbitantly high salaries,” another official said.
Citing the case of Nadia Nabi, member finance, the official said she was inducted at a salary of Rs2 million/month along with fringe benefits
“While 12 Toyota Yaris cars of 2022 model were also purchased for seven newly-appointed officers of PMC,” the source added.
PMC’s Executive Council members previously used to work voluntarily in the defunct PMDC; however, later the commission started paying monthly salaries to president and vice president.
It is also worthy to mention that the vice president of PMC, who has been running a propaganda for the last 3 years claiming PM&DC employees salaries were too high, sacked 30 dutiful officers without giving any valid reason.
The fired officials’ careers at PM&DC ranged for 12 to 42 years and they were drawing salaries between Rs100,000 to maximum Rs300,000, while on the other hand, one of the newly inducted managers was drawing Rs500,000 and a member Rs800,000-1100,000 alongside other benefits.
The health minister has finally decided to fire the Secretary, Director General Health and also the members of PMC, source further said.
Talking to IP, health ministry officials said the minister was seriously planning to revive PMC.
After assuming the charge of the ministry, Patel directed the Secretary Health to start working on turning the PMC around and revival of Federal Teaching Institution Acts. Instead, the Secretary Health conspired with PMC to file a petition against the IHC (Islamabad High Court) ruling that had quashed the PMC Act and restored the PMDC.
Minister Patel has also decided to send Director General Health Rana Safdar home for his poor performance, sources said.
He later brought Dr Asim Hussain, former President of PMDC, on board to assist him in cleaning the mess in the health department.
A summary was also sent to the Prime Minister for removing President PMC, Dr Arshad Taqi, and Vice President Ali Raza Advocate, who is said to be a crony of former PM Imran Khan.
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