LAHORE - With the consent of the executive district officer and the district officer (health), two unqualified and illiterate midwives and an X-Ray attendant have been appointed receptionists-cum -clerks and in-charge of ‘One Window Operation’ of the CDGLs Health Department respectively, insiders informed TheNation Tuesday.
They further said the laboratory attendant was appointed on the recommendation of former District Officer (Health II) Dr Shabeer Ahmad. They added blue-eyed officials had been appointed on these lucrative posts with the consent of the then Executive District Officer (Health) without getting approval of Lahore Division commissioner and DCO.
District Officer Dr Rashid Roofi, who replaced Dr Shabeer also continued practice and supporting the above said right persons but working on wrong positions. Whereas the new DO did not appoint any skilled person as in-charge of Computer Section so far and some inexperienced computer operators are working in the section despite complaints of errors in the birth and death certificates. The sources concerned said neither employees of the health department had the required educational qualifications for the posts nor had they any diploma or experience of computer.
It may be mentioned here that the DCOs were earlier direct charge of the One Window Operation. At that time, former DCO Sajjad Bhutta sealed the operation and suspended all the staffers of the section on account of misappropriations and for issuing dozens of fake birth certificates on uncountable public complaints against the officials. But now, they are working on the same position and the authorities concerned took no serious notice so far regarding their working, the sources added. “Moreover, over one dozen peons, office boys and naib qasids are serving in the office and homes of the DO, EDO and some other senior officials and they also are playing role of ‘informers in the department’s affairs on behalf of their bosses,” they alleged.
The insiders said that recently-appointed in-charge of One Window Operation, Humayun, was working in scale II and he was performing his duties in the department as office boy earlier. They were of the view that an in-charge must be qualified and literate with vast experience and at least have matric qualification because public dealing was not possible for an illiterate person.
The officials of Health Department said on the condition of anonymity that all such officials including Humayun, both the receptionists one namely Junazia, naib qasids and peons Naeem, Allah Ditta, Saleem, Abdul Wahid, Manzoor and others were in fact hired in scale II for free dispensaries.
However, they added they had been hired because of personal liking of the DO and personal connections with influential officers and political persons in section in the same scale.
They further alleged that such officials now have complete control over all the affairs of the section including issuance of computerised birth and death certificates. For issuance of each new computerised birth certificate, they are charging Rs 2,000 despite the fact they are not authorised to issue new computerised birth certificates, they said.
They are authorized only to charge Rs 100 for issuance of copy of birth certificate according to the available record of birth certificates in the section; they said, adding that the practice was going unchecked by the authorities concerned.
Due to lack of experience and required educational qualifications, they are not capable of public dealing and they are not only misguiding the applicants but also plundering them through overcharging, the sources concluded. When this scribe tried to contact the DO (Health), he was not available for his version.