CHARSADDA: The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has recommended the registration of a case against several persons over alleged irregularities in the supply of medicines under the Sehat Sahulat Programme at the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital Charsadda.
According to official documents, the department has formally informed the director anti-corruption to initiate legal proceedings against 12 staff members, including two former medical superintendents of the hospital and a pharmaceutical firm.
The inquiry covering the period from June 2024 to June 2025 found serious violations in the tender process, provision of substandard medicines to patients, and financial mismanagement.
The investigators revealed that despite a firm offering 22 percent lower rates, the contract was awarded to another firm with only an 8 percent lower bid, causing a loss of millions of rupees to the provincial exchequer.
The report disclosed that the selected firm had secured the contract on the condition of supplying high-quality, multinational-standard medicines, but instead allegedly provided substandard drugs to patients.
Additionally, the contract, which was due to expire in June 2025, was extended for another year until June 2026 by then acting medical superintendent Dr Javed Iqbal.
The extension was reportedly granted on April 16, 2025, in violation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Revenue Authority (KPRA) rules and without approval from the Health Management Committee.
The inquiry also uncovered financial irregularities amounting to millions of rupees in payments made to the firm.Following completion of the investigation, the ACE has forwarded its findings and formally requested registration of a case against all nominated persons.
