‘Favourites sent for training abroad’: PMA

[Naveed Yaseen]

The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has alleged that the Punjab health department sent officers/doctors for hospital administration training course being held in Bangkok, Thailand, on the basis of favouritism and nepotism.

According to a press release issued here on Wednesday, PMA leaders Dr Tanveer Anwar, Dr Sarwar Chaudhry, Dr Shahid Malik, Dr Izhar Chaudhry, Dr Salman Kazmi and other office-bearers said the health department had sent irrelevant and non-administrative officers on training course of “Tertiary Care Hospital Administration”, being held in Bangkok. “The health department, instead of sending doctors from hospitals’ administrations, has sent a health deputy secretary, a pathologist, a gynaecologist, ENT specialists, etc, who have nothing to do with administrative tasks in tertiary care hospitals,” they said.

They said at least three batches of 20 members each had been sent so far, adding the department had violated merit while selecting candidates for sending abroad for the training course. They said millions of rupees had been spent by the department to send the irrelevant people to a ‘pleasure trip’ to Bangkok. The favouritism and nepotism had placed a huge question mark on the level of transparency in the departmental affairs, they added. The PMA has demanded Punjab chief minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif to probe into the matter, reviving merit and transparency in the affairs of the department.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=208116