Web Desk: An audit report has raised serious questions over the appointment of Muhammad Tariq as an associate hospital director at Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital (LRH), identifying payments of more than Rs21.8 million and recommending a high-level investigation into the hiring process.
The findings have resurfaced amid allegations of favoritism and irregularities in appointments at the hospital, which is one of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s largest public healthcare facilities.
According to the audit report, Tariq was appointed associate hospital director through the Selection and Promotion Committee on Jan. 16, 2017.
He was paid a monthly salary of Rs508,892, with total payments reaching Rs21.88 million over 43 months through August 2019, the report said.
The audit found that the position required a master’s degree in hospital or health services management, business management, public health or public administration, along with at least seven years of administrative-level experience.
However, the report said Tariq had obtained an MBA in 2010 and did not have the required seven years of post-qualification experience at the time of his application and appointment.
The auditors also identified discrepancies in documents submitted to support his education and professional experience.
According to the report, Tariq’s curriculum vitae and experience certificates showed differing employment periods at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Sahara, raising questions about whether the claimed experience met the requirements for the position.
The audit report highlighted what it described as an apparent inconsistency in an experience certificate issued by Sahara.
The document was dated Dec. 16, 2008, while the employment period mentioned in the same certificate extended until Jan. 20, 2009, according to the findings.
The auditors said the available record indicated that the selection process appeared questionable and lacked transparency.
They further concluded that appointing a candidate who did not meet the required post-qualification experience could have deprived otherwise eligible candidates of an opportunity to compete for the position.
The audit called for a high-level inquiry into the appointment and recommended investigations by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the provincial Anti-Corruption Establishment and a government inspection team.
It also recommended examining the possibility of recovering the amount paid in accordance with applicable rules.
The findings have prompted allegations that the appointment caused a substantial loss to the provincial exchequer. However, the audit observations and recommendations, by themselves, do not establish criminal liability or prove that the individuals involved committed corruption.
The controversy has also drawn attention to the subsequent leadership structure at LRH.
According to the allegations cited in the material, Tariq was later entrusted with leading the hospital despite questions raised over his original appointment.
The issue reportedly came to wider attention when provincial Information Adviser Samar Haroon Bilour visited injured children following a school tragedy and learned that the hospital director did not have a medical degree.
The allegations have renewed scrutiny of recruitment and governance practices at one of the province’s oldest public hospitals, particularly over whether senior administrative positions were filled according to prescribed qualifications and transparent selection procedures.
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