TAUQAN (Pajhwok): A Pakistani firm has decamped with an amount of $1.6 million meant for the construction of a 200-bed hospital in northern Takhar province, Pajhwok Afghan News has reliably learnt.
The company had inked a contract for the construction of the hospital in Taloqan, the provincial capital, but the firm's construction team left the work incomplete and disappeared with the money.
Anosh Hamta, a doctor at the children's department, said the hospital had no health facilities and faced multiple problems. He alleged funds for equipment purchase had been stolen by the company.
Old machines, which did not work properly, had been installed at the facility, the doctor claimed, saying the local authorities and the ministry concerned inaugurated the hospital even before the construction work was completed.
Dr. Hamta accused the Public Health Ministry of involvement in possible embezzlement of funds, as the facility was opened before the completion of work and installation of necessary tools.
Public Health Director Dr. Hafizullah Sapi said construction of the hospital was a project worth $9 million, jointly implemented by the AIRRS firm of Pakistan, Germany's AIPOS and the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH).
He added: 'We were monitoring the project. The Pakistani company was purchasing everything on credit. We informed the Germans, who were provided a guarantee letter of $1.6 million from the Azizi Bank. After sometime, the Pakistani firm escaped, leaving the German company empty-handed…'
The German company, on approaching the bank, was told there were no funds left in the account. Sapi accused the Pakistani firm of cheating the Azizi Bank out of the money. They took the guarantee letter but did not provide the money.
Mohammad Bashir Sabiri, financial manager of AIPOS, told Pajhwok the Pakistani company had offered them a guarantee of $2.3 million for a year. 'When the year passed, we asked them for renewing the guarantee. Subsequently, the Pakistani company brought a $1.6 million guarantee letter of from Azizi Bank for three months.'
According to the letter, the bank had to pay the money immediately, when requested, he said. But the bank denied doing so after the Pakistani company escaped.
'We have been trying for the past two years to withdraw the money from Azizi Bank, but we have been unable. We have also shared photos of the company owner, Omran Shaukat with the Public Health Department, which has done nothing so far,' he added.
All contracts and documents about the project signed with Azizi Bank and AIRRS have been shared with the Ministry of Public Health, Wolesi Jirga and several other state organs, but no steps have been taken yet.
Former director of Takhar Civil Hospital Dr. Karamuddin Wakilzada said the contract was signed with the Pakistani company in 2013. But the company fled after sometime and the project implementation process was handed over to German and Turkish firms.
Wakilzada, who is now responsible for following up the case, said: 'I have shared this with the parliament, the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Justice and courts. We are awaiting action from them.'
But Hamidzai Lalai, head of the health commission of the Wolesi Jirga, said the issue had not been shared with them so far. 'I have heard about the hospital, but no one has shared relevant documents with.
'We would discuss the issue with the public health minister once we receive the documents,' the parliamentarian promised. Public funds have been embezzled in the name of hospitals' construction in several parts of the country, Lalai charged.
Pajhwok tried to seek comments from the Ministry of Public Health on the issue, but the officials concerned refused to say anything on the stealing of funds.
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