Amid financial crisis, acute shortage of funds and sever economic crunch at the varsity, the administration of Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences (LUMHS) Jamshoro has reportedly appointed over 177 employees at various departments of Bilawal Medical College (BMC) without following the criteria, rules & procedures and fulfilling codal formalities.
According to the well informed sources, the administration of LUMHS illegally recruited as many as 44 employees on regular and 133 on contractual basis at its Bilawal Medical College (BMC) from grade 5 to grade 19 without issuing the advertisement in the national newspapers and fulfilling other codal formalities which is said to be a clear violation of the verdict of Supreme Court of Pakistan regarding reappointment of retired professors and officers on key posts.
The sources close to vice chancellor LUMHS Dr Bekha Ram disclosed with this reporter that 44 people who were recruited on regular basis in various grades from 5 to 19 belonged to influenced individuals and bigwigs while those 133 appointments made on contractual basis were either the retired professors or officers of different departments of Liaquat Medical University.
“As many as Rs 13.5 million are being given as monthly salaries to these 133 recruited contractual employees while those recruited on regular basis seek salaries separately from the said amount. This is a great monetary burden on the varsity”, the sources from director finance office unearthed.
The daughter of vice chancellor Dr. Bekha Ram named Darga Devi has also been recruited as lecturer directly in grade 17 in pathology department whereas the daughter of director admissions Ghulam Murtaza Dayo named Dr Sana Dayo has also been recruited in BPS 17 in community medicine and the daughter of former registrar Roshan Bhatti named Dr Urooj Bhatti is recruited in BPS 19 in physiology department of Bilawal Medical College.
The details further unearthed that the retired accountant of LUMHS Noor Muhammad Rind has been given contract to work at Bilawal Medical College as financial consultant on the monthly remuneration of Rs 70,000 while his son Shahzor Rind has been appointed as administrative officer in BPS-16 without following the rules and procedures of the varsity.
The sources further revealed that apart from these appointments, a number of recruitments have been made by the vice chancellor Dr. Bekha Ram and pro-vice chancellor Dr. Akramuddin Ujan in research diagnostic laborites working in various cities and towns of the province devoid of merit, rules and regulations.
When contacted, the registrar of LUMHS Dr. Saroop Bhatia has confirmed the appointments but claimed that the proper procedure was followed in this regard. He said that the teachers had been appointed as per PMDC criteria but some employees were appointed by the vice chancellor by using his emergency powers.
He said that the LUMHS was a self-supportive and earning varsity and it was not a burden on the government as compared to other general and engineering universities of Sindh adding that no illegality in appointments was carried.
It may be noted that though the tug of war is going on between Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences Jamshoro and Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC) over the registration of Bilawal Medical College, yet the appointments on various positions without fulfilling the requirements are rapidly underway at the college.