By: Shahid Jan
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on health has ordered the suspension of the pension of former health officials for making illegal payments and allowance to doctors in Khalifa Gul Nawaz Hospital, Bannu.
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly has ordered the suspension of the salary of the then-appointed Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDO) for authorising an illegal Health Professional Allowance totalling Rs. 7.6 million to eight doctors at Khalifa Gul Nawaz Hospital, Bannu.
During the committee meeting held under the chairmanship of Idrees Khattak, PAC expressed strong displeasure over the delayed inquiry, noting that the audit observations in this case date back to the fiscal year 2017–2018. The committee questioned why action was being taken only now, several years later.
The hospital administration contested the reported amount, stating that the actual disbursed figure was Rs. 3.9 million and not Rs. 7.6 million as cited in the audit. They further noted that objections were raised based on discrepancies in approval, not misappropriation of funds.
An audit official present at the meeting explained that similar irregularities were observed in six other hospitals regarding the disbursement of the Health Professional Allowance without proper authorisation, which led to the reports being clubbed together under a single audit paragraph.
However, PPP MPA Ahmed Karim Kundi strongly objected to this approach, arguing that each hospital’s situation and response were different and should be treated separately. “We already have concerns regarding the performance of the Audit Office,” he said. “Combining audit reports compromises transparency.”
In response, Chairman Idrees Khattak directed the Audit Office to treat future hospital audits separately to ensure clarity and accountability. He also reaffirmed the committee’s decision to suspend the salary of the former DDO responsible for the payments at Khalifa Gul Nawaz Hospital.
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Several MPAs and committee members were in attendance at the meeting, which focused on improving oversight and ensuring proper financial accountability in the province’s health sector.
