HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad circuit bench of the Sindh High Court on Wednesday suspended a decision of syndicate of the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS) on health insurance policy for employees and observed that it was alarming that Higher Education Commission (HEC) funds were being utilised for the treatment of employees at private hospitals of their choice.

The division bench comprising Justices Salahuddin Panhwar and Fahim Ahmed Siddiqui passed the order on a petition filed by Akhtar Ali Abro through Ejaz Awan advocate and asked HEC chairman to clarify if the funds could be used for purposes other than specified.

The court observed that prima facie the funds allocated by the HEC were for the purpose of higher education and the university employees contributed noth-ing towards their medical treatment in view of health insurance policy.

Apparently, it said, such use of funds, approved by the university`s syndicate on Feb 19, 2015, for the purposes other than they were meant for, appeared to be a criminal act.

The court suspended the syndicate decision while observing that it was an alarming situation that funds were being utilised for the treatment of employees at private hospitals of their own choice in spite of the fact that they were not allocated for this purpose.

LUMHS registrar Dr Roshan Bhattitoldthecourtthatunderthe insurance policy all permanent employees were getting treatment from Aga Khan Hospital, South City, Rajputana, Bone Care, Tabba, Liaquat National Hospital, Hilal-i-Ahmar and Isra University Hospital for themselves and for their family members.

The court said that no legal orreasonable justification was placed before the court in this regard and noted that one could not be denied the right to have treatment from any institution but it should certainly not be at the cost of others. Therefore, the court ordered, LUMHS employees were restrained from availing treatment in these hospitals at the cost of public money.

The court was informed that HEC released Rs742 million and Sindh government gave Rs557m funds to LUMHS.

Besides, LUMHS generated funds through its own resources as well. Since 2015, LUMHS utilised HEC funds allocated for university on health insurance of its employees.

The court directed the HEC chairman to call reports from universities with regard to the budget allocated and its subsequent use by them. The petitioner stated that during his visit to Kotri hospital he observed that offices of doctors andcivil surgeons remained vacant and patients were suffering.

The bench directed vice chancellor of LUMHS to get audit of last Eve years conducted through reputable firmFerguson Chartered Accountant. The record be handed over to the firm besides break-up of budget details LUMHS received from affiliated colleges and institutions, said the order.

The court asked the VC to submit criterion of affiliation of colleges and institutions along with details of the colleges and their worl( progress, clarifying if the colleges were approved by Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) or not.

The bench ordered the PMDC president to depute a responsible officer to assist the court on this point and directed chairman of Healthcare Commission to call criterion of insurance policy of universities in medical field and take action in accordance with law wherever needed.The court adjourned the matter to Sept 22. The court ordered action against the me dical superintendent of Jamshoro district hospital for continuous absence and asked secretary of health to recommend the case to chief secretary of Sindh if he himself was not authorised to initiate such action.

In-charge medical superintendent of the hospital Dr Kausar Soomro said that it was a districtlevel hospital but facilities of even a taluka-level hospital were nonexistent.

The court directed the chief secretary and secretary of health to ensure that all posts approved under schedule for new establishment (SNE) be filled within 10 days.

The court referred the matter of funds lapsed in dialysis head and other affairs to anticorruption officer Jawad Kareem for inquiry and directed him to complete the inquiry within a month. FIR be lodged if required, it ordered.