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Hospital of graft

Once reputed BSMMU turned into a horrible institution during BNP-led regime; investigations find corruption in purchase, appointment, promotion by hospital top brass

JULFIKAR ALI MANIK and Emran Hossain
Purchase of a piece of equipment for Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University's (BSMMU) cardiology department has cost a loss ofTk 80 lakh as the authorities got the Tk 47 lakh heart-lung machine at Tk 1.27 crore.
In another event of irregularities, the paediatrics department proposed to purchase a Broncoscopy machine at Tk 21 lakh
in 2005. But the university authorities got it at Tk 26 lakh in 2006 and the machine remains unused still today.
The nephrology department intended to repair water treatment plant (WTP), which should have costTk 4 lakh. But the then pro-vice chancellor MA Mannan being selfinspired bought a new WTP expending Tk 12.5 lakh of the universityfund.
These are the few examples of huge corruption at BSMMU during the five-year rule of BNP-Iamaat-led four-party alliance government under vice-chancellor late MA Hadi, who served from October 2001 to November 2006. Hadi
passed away on October 16,2007.
Financial corruption alone does not end the story of irregularities. Appointments and promotion of teachers and staffs also witnessed irregularities and corruption, which, according to faculty members, would leave a long-term impact.
/\ medical officer became professor at the vascular surgery department in three years, whereas it requires three years to be associate professor from assistant professor and five more years to be a professor.
The BSMMU, lone medical university of the country, has set an
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example of how the ton brass including the VC can spoil such a service-oriented institution through corruption and irregularities with blessings from partisan influential professionals
'We've investigated financial corruption of only Tk 20 crore to Tk 25 crore. More irregularities and graft were found during investigations. We only incorporated those that matched with the terms of reference of our work,' said an investigator of the probe commit tees formed by the university and the government.
'The purchase process embezzled public money. But graft in appointments and promotion of unqualified teachers and doctors has caused a long-term loss as eligible and qualified officials were deprived. It would definitely reduce the standard of higher studies if we cannot take action against those involved in the process and fail to bring in correction.' said Prof Nazrul Islam, who was chairman of the probe committee formed by the university.
Investigations revealed stunning information about different types of graft in BSMMU including bribery involving even the VC.
Officials wonder how one could think of such an act being carried out by a person like the VC with the help of other teachers, doctors ana officials who were supposed to uphold the institution's dimity.
Besides getting personal benefits through corruption, Hadi also carried out irregularities to get his two sons established at the university through appointment and promotion.
"It's beyond imagination how persons of such stature were involved in graft in sheer violation of rules, regulations and purchase process,' said a professor of the university who was involved in the investigation conducted by the university.
The investigators have so far unearthed evidence of graft involving over Tk 22 crore purchase and maintenance, about half of which was estimated as loss of the university.
Besides BSMMU-formed probe committee, the government is also conducting simultaneous investigations by the army-led task force and the Anti-Corruption Commission.
However, though several committees were formed both by the university and the government in phases no action could be taken in this regard.
Sources say some of the university-formed committees include persons who were partners in corruption during the tenure of Hadi. They are not willing to look into the issues and are trying to convince the government investigators that no graft had actually taken place, the sources add.
Even the investigation committees formed by Hadi could not make any headway as it was politically biased and targeted to take a hand on the opposition rather than combating graft, the sources observe.
CORRUPTION IN APPOINTMENT The probe committee led by Prof Nazrul found that 15 professors, 14 associate professors and 10 assistant professors were appointed or promoted violating three conditions required for appointment and promotion.
The probes also revealed that about 400 medical officers and 11 non-medical officers were appointed violating the rules and regulations.
The investigations also found that Mohammad Abul Kashem, a ward boy of dental department and CBA president, had nis share in the illegal appointments of medical and non-medical officers.
The probe report categorically says all the documents and pieces of evidence regarding involvement of Kashem in appointment graft should be handed over to ACC.
Candidates should qualify in three categories for being entitled to appointment or promotion. The categories are educational qualification, experience and publications.
Speaking anonymously, a toplevel administrative official told The Daily Star, ’Although the candidates didn't qualify in the categories they were appointed considering special qualifications. Candidates lacking in qualifications for becoming an assistant professor were made professor in this way.'
EXAMPLES OF CORRUPTION Most of the purchase was made through quotation and without floating any tender except for a couple of cases though any purchase involving money more than Tk 2 lakh should be given through tender.
In some cases tender notification was published in one newspaper only though it was supposed to be published in more thap one newspaper.
There were instances that no technical evaluation was carried out on receipt of the quotation. The purchase was made violating all rules, regulations, and provisions. Besides, the matter of purchase was not informed to the central purchase committee.
Investigators say there is a gulf of difference between the prices of the heart lung machines bought by BSMMU and other medical Institutions at the same time. Other medical institutions bought the machine from same supplier and at a much lower price, they add.
Earlier, medicine named Injection Ceftriaxon (Inj. Trizon) used to be purchased from EDCL, but BSMMU began purchasing it through quotation in violation of purchase rules from 2002-03 fiscal year Former VC Hadi in each case mentioned on the documents that "work orders be granted' causing
a loss ofTk 31.3 lakh.
The Echo-Cardiogram Machine worth Tk 83.55 lakh purchased for the cardiology department and cardiac surgery was bought without any require ment and specification from the department. The machine was purchased in accordance with the specification of the supplier No technical evaluation committee was formed.
Six ventilators were purchased for the aneastheology department causing a loss ofTk 75 lakn. The VC on May 19, 2004 decided to purchase the machines worth Tk 1.2 crorc through spot quotation by forming a committee the same day.
"Purchase of the ventilators was so necessary that those remained abandoned and unused for three years," an investigator said ironically.
the investigators found that purchase of telephone sets caused alossofTk 10.421akh.
The primary expenditure for 1CU renovation was approved at Tk 12.9 lakh Excess work was carried out at verbal order of the authorities and later another Tk 12.5 lakh was approved for the purpose. An additional expenditure ofTk 3.44 lakh was shown in the bill. Due to the verbal order about Tk 15 lakh was spent in addition to the approved amount.
The second Cathlab (a machine to conduct Angiogram) was purchased at Tk 7.52 crore and the VC granted the amount though he had the authority to grant maxi-mumTk501akh.
The authorities reduced the warranty period to three years from seven years as suggested by the Technical Evaluation Committee, causing a loss of Tk 4.20 crore in purchasing and reducing the warranty period.
The Lithotripsy Machine for Urology was purchased at a higher rate of about Tk 5 crore without considering the loss. The lowest bidder proposed Tk 3.2 crore. But at the same time the same supplier sold the machine of same specification at a price, which was Tk 1 crore less than BSMMU's.
About Tk 4.35 crore was spent in purchasing 12 types of operation theatre items through a frail purchase process. The items include scissors, ICU bed, blood gas, invasive monitor, and ICU ventilators.
Paediatics Department Chairman Prof MA Mannan, who was pro-VC at that time, however, told The Daily Star, "I don't know whether any corruption had taken place or not, but there might have been some procedural irregularities." BRIBERY
The government investigators say they have traced incidents of money transaction as bribe by the VC and some other BSMMU administrative officials in purchasing equipment in at least six cases and one renovation case. In some cases investigators have got witnesses to bribery incidents.
The sources categorically mention that there is an allegation of bribery in purchasing Lithotripsy and second Cathlab machines against Hadi and Deputy Registrar Dr Kazi Ebadullah.
The purchase was made through Tk 85 lakh bribe transaction and the VC took the major portion of the money, they say. The investigators say the date the supplier withdrew the money and the VC and the deputy registrar depositing it in their accounts are same.
BSMMU Deputy Registrar Kazi Ebadullah told The Daily Star, "1 don't know anything about the VC taking bribe. And the allegations brought against me are false, baseless, and fabricated. There is conspiracy behind this. I have been carrying out my service honestly for 14 years and there is no question of taking bribe."
"As I possess no power to have anything done, there is no point in giving me bribe. Executive power lies with the VC and the registrar," he added.
"I think many things were not done legally and in accordance with the rules regarding purchase, appointment and promotion," Kazi Ebadullah admitted.
There are also allegations against some members of the purchase committee, some administrative officers and doctors who became beneficiaries out of the matters.
"In matters of purchase the main responsibility lies upon the VC, pro-VC (finance), and the treasurer. The central purchase committee in fact doesn't have any responsibility other than being used as post office. They only forward the proposal of technical committee to the VC,’ said Prof Mannan, former head of the 27-member central purchase committee.
"The committee can only add or decrease the numbers of equipment to a certain level. But the central purchase committee has no jurisdiction to deny the proposal made by the technical committee,'he added.
Apart from these, some officials realised about Tk 1 crore in the name of renovating BSMMU on the occasion of a supposed 'visit' by the Saudi health minister during the alliance government rule In reality, existence of the renovation work was not traced anywhere at that time and the Saudi minister never showed up.
"We didn't mention anything about bribery incident in our report as we didn't have any eyewitnesses But we knew that there was bribery in the process of purchasing,' said an investigator of the university formed probe body asking not to be named.
The investigators also say the matter of partisan political influence behind appointments could not be clarified due to lack of clear evidence. There has been a nexus maintained between Hadi and some others influential persons in and out of the university including AZM Zahid Hossain and Khaleda Zia's assignment officer Dr Firoz Mahmud Iqbal.
Hadi, Zahid and Firoz were leaders of BNP-backed Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB) and manipulated tneir power in health sector.
There are scores of allegations of corruption, irregularities and misuse of power against Zahid and Firoz. Interestingly, Zahid also won first prize in a lottery through corruption.
Both Zahid and Firoz, who have been absconding, were sentenced to 13 and 10years imprisonment respectively for amassing wealth beyond known sources of income and concealing information from ACC.