CHARSADDA: A major scandal of corruption and mismanagement has come to light in the headquarters hospital of Shabqadar Tehsil of Charsadda, where the majority of the staff remained absent from duty while taking salaries at their homes.
During the recent action taken by District Health Officer (DHO) Dr. Wazirullah, it was revealed that several doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff of the hospital were regularly receiving salaries from the government treasury despite being absent from duty for years.
According to the investigation report, several renowned doctors and medical staff were found to be absent for a long time. Dr. Tufail Ahmed was not present on duty since January 2023, while Dr. Hujratullah was found missing since October 2024.
Surprisingly, it has been revealed that dental surgeons Dr. Saima Rahat and Dr. Asad Khan were receiving salaries despite being abroad. Similarly, charge nurse Alia Ghani had been absent for two years, and Dr. Mustajab Begum was wrongly receiving a salary from the previous place despite being transferred. Principal Medical Officer Dr. Muhammad Amjad was also found absent during the proceedings.
Another worrying aspect of the scandal is the serious financial irregularities in the account of the Hospital Management Committee (HMC). According to information provided from January to September 2025, the total balance of the account in the month of September was Rs 20 lakh 37 thousand, out of which more than Rs 19 lakh 98 thousand was withdrawn in just one month. After this huge expenditure, only Rs 4019 remained in the account. Since no clear details or transparency of these expenses were revealed, it has been decided to audit the hospital funds.
DHO Charsadda has taken strict action and issued orders to immediately stop the salaries of all absent employees. In addition, Dr. Mahmood Jan has been removed from the post of DMS on charges of referring patients to private laboratories and building an illegal OPD gate.
The administration has launched a full investigation into the matter, seeking an explanation for all suspicious expenses, so that those who wasted government resources can be held accountable.
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