The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Chairman Iqbal Mahmood said on Friday the commission is maintaining a zero-tolerance policy to curb corruption in the health sector.
ACC chairman made the remark while receiving the report on various legal actions taken by the commission on different allegations.
Earlier, in a special report, ACC painted a very grim picture on the purchase of Masks, PPEs and other healthcare gadgets after the national anti-graft body received piles of documentary evidence related to graft in the procurement of the items.
To sum up the report, ACC investigation team said, officials from health ministry and directorate general of health services were directly involved with irregularities and corruption in purchasing sub-standard masks, PPEs, and other healthcare related gadgets and pocketed a substantial amount of money from the dealings.
"Procuring low-grade healthcare gadgets, life of doctors and healthcare professionals were put under threat as many of them contacted this deadly virus," the special report said.
"ACC is investigating the alleged corruption with utmost importance and hope to bring the culprit to book" the report concludes.
Iqbal Mahmood further said that they were active against the corruption in the health sector even before the Covid-19 pandemic.
The commission was operating in full swing against the corruption in the health sector, even before the Covid-19 pandemic emerged, stated the ACC chairman Mahmud.
Director media and public relations of ACC Pranab Kumar Bhattachariya said ACC so far filed 23 cases on various charges including relief embezzlement, misappropriation food help meant for the poor.
He said "ACC formed eight teams to check institutional corruption in 2017 and health sector is one of them. As a part of regular activity, ACC is now investigating the alleged corruption in masks, PPE, and other healthcare gadgets purchase".
"ACC formed an institutional team in 2017 to prevent corruption in the health sector. Our team is working since then on the irregularities in the health sector" said Pranab Kumar Bhattachariya.
