CMO, MS Budgam attached; Dir Health under scanner

Minister orders inquiry into multi-Crore NRHM scam in Valley

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Feb 9: Minister of Health, Sham Lal Sharma, has taken strong notice of the embezzlement of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) funds in Budgam district. Amid reports that similar irregularities had taken place at a large scale in several other districts with the involvement of senior officers of Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir, Minister of Health has not only ordered a high level administrative inquiry into the NRHM scam but also immediate attachment of the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Budgam, and Medical Superintendent of Aga Syed Yousuf Memorial District Hospital Budgam.

In hours of Early Times breaking the story of a major embezzlement of NRHM funds in Budgam, Minister of Health Sham Lal Sharma told this newspaper that there was no question of shielding any of the officials found prima facie involved in the scandal. He said that under his orders CMO Budgam, Dr Abdullah, and MS of DH Budgam, Dr Nazir Ahmed Qanoongo, had been immediately removed and attached. He said that Dy CMO (Dr Abdul Qayoom Khan), had been directed to assume the charge of CMO Budgam till the appointment of a new incumbent later this month.

Minister said that senior most Block Medical Officer (BMO Budgam Dr Nisar Ahmed Nehvi) had been directed to temporarily hold the additional charge of MS of DH Budgam. Both the district officers, facing charges of huge embezzlement of NRHM funds, have been immediately relieved.

Even as Police Station of Budgam had already taken criminal cognizance and launched investigation, Minister of Health said that he had additionally ordered an administrative inquiry. He said that the officials involved and their protectors had insisted on an audit by a chartered accountant but that process, he feared, had all prospects of intervention from the guilty. Mr Sharma said that misappropriation and embezzlement of NRHM and some other schemes seemed to be an act of a network in which role of the highest level officials of Directorate of Health Service, Kashmir, could not be ruled out.

“It’s an extremely serious matter that a Nursing Orderly of District Hospital of Budgam has drawn NRHM cash worth over Rs 16 Lakhs and swindled it. This can’t be possible without the involvement of senior officials”, Mr Sharma said. He asserted that the investigation would be taken to its logical conclusion and appropriate disciplinary action under service conduct rules would be taken against anybody found guilty.

Informed sources said that a group of CMOs, known for intimate relationship with Director of Health Services Kashmir, Dr Mohammad Amin Wani, was prima facie involved in fraudulent withdrawals of NRHM and other flagship funds. While action has begun in Budgam, it was likely to be initiated in Kulgam district in a couple of days. These sources said that a senior official of the Health Department today advised CMO Budgam to engage the most expensive lawyers and get the orders of administrative department stayed in a court of law. The official is reportedly shuttling between Ministerial bungalows in Jammu.

 SSP Budgam, Uttam Chand, told Early Times that, following a complaint, Police Station Budgam had arrested Nursing Orderly Muddasir Hussain of DH Budgam who admitted during the course of questioning that he had fraudulently drawn a huge amount of Rs 16.50 Lakh from the NRHM account. He said that case FIR No: 23 of 2011 under sections 409, 467, 468 and 420 was, according registered against the class 4^th employee and others involved in the criminal act. He said that a court of law had ordered release of the accused even as the investigation was still underway and others involved in the scandal needed to be identified and arrested.

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