KARACHI - The Sindh Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Tuesday expressed anger against the provincial health department for its failure in producing the record of expenditures on different heads during financial years of 2005-06 to 2008-2009.The PAC meeting started at committee room of Sindh Assembly with its chairman Sardar Jam Tamachi Unar in the chair. The PAC met to discuss the 25 audit paras of the audit report of the health department of Sindh government for financial years of 2005-06 to 2008-2009. Just after start of the meeting, DG Audit, Ghulam Akbar Soho told the PAC that despite lapse of the about four months, the health department has not neither produced the record of expenditures nor they had come to the audit department’s office to settle the paras. At least 25 audit paras of audit report for financial years of 2005-06 to 2008-09, which involved funds spent by health department in the accounts of various hospitals, medical colleges, institutes and universities were without relevant record.Accompanied with officials of the department, provincial Health Secretary Aftab Khatri attended the meeting but he failed in satisfying the accountability body over his department’s failure in producing records of expenditures of Rs698 million, which were spent by the officials on different heads.The PAC chairman in his observations said that it seemed the there is no importance of the public accounts committee for the health departments, that’s why they were not obliging the directives of the accountability body.The PAC, in its last meeting held about four months ago, directed the health department to come up with preparations and produce record of expenditures. But on Tuesday the department came without any progress. On that, PAC chief expressed his anger. While other members of the public accounts committee also expressed their anger and remarked that health department officials had come here only to get their allowances.Aftab Khatri produced excuse of his recent posting as secretary of the department and urged the accountability committee to grant him time to settle the audit paras till next meeting. But PAC chairman and other members did not give further time to the health secretary and directed him to try to settle the audit paras and produce the record of expenditures within a week. On behalf of the public accounts committee of Sindh Assembly, the PAC chairman also directed his staff to send a letter to the principle secretary of the President, Sindh chief minister, Sindh governor and health minister and inform them about the ‘poor performance’ of the health department regarding their non-serious attitude towards the Public Accounts Committee.The PAC chairman further said that if the health department did not settle audit paras and produce the record of expenditures of Rs698 million as anomalies, the accountability body would not settle their accounts and present report to the Assembly. The accountability body chief added that some audit paras were not able to settle as irregularities clearly visible and without records and documents. Despite many reminders, the officials are reluctant to procedure the record and deposit the misappropriated amount. In his remarks, the PAC chief said that it seems there is no need for public accounts committee. “Officials are taking this forum lightly. In this situation we cannot work and even will not give you more time”. PAC member MPA Aamir Moin Pirzada of MQM while expressing his anger over health department said that health secretary first should take action against the officials responsible for the delay in producing records of expenditures and inform the PAC in its next meeting.Another PAC member MPA Shama Arif Mathani from PPP said the PAC’s directives were not being taken seriously. She said that even the health department provided working paper of meeting just few minutes before the meeting, terming it a non-serious attitude of the department to the accountability body. Talking to the media after the meeting, the PAC chairman said that he was not satisfied with the performance of the accountability body due to non-cooperation of the departments.He termed the non-cooperation from the bureaucracy as hurdle in their performance, besides the frequent transfer and posting of the secretaries by the government. The PAC chief said that provincial secretaries of departments are posted for three to four months, which seemed they come just for training. He said that as accountability body, we do not want to humiliate the bureaucrats but it was our responsibility to go into the details of expenditures. 

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