Imran’s cousin ran the Ministry of Health from the United States: Minister

A Pakistani minister has claimed that during former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s tenure, the latter’s US-based cousin headed departments under the Ministry of Health, media reported.

Speaking to the media on Thursday, Federal Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel hinted that a number of ministry-related matters could be referred to an independent National Accountability Board (NAB), Dawn news reports.

He said two bills were passed by the National Assembly on Wednesday and sent to the Senate, adding that the legislations were introduced to repeal the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) and the Medical Education Institutions Act passed during the mandate of the PTI government.

“Employees (of the Commission) were made redundant and a number of people were appointed who had nothing to do with the medical profession. Exorbitant salaries were paid to new appointees. Thanks to the new bill, we We have given representation in the body to all provinces and administrative units,” he said.

“While the PTI was waging a campaign against the current government calling it ‘imported’, the departments of the Ministry of Health were run from the United States by a cousin of former Prime Minister Imran Khan via the internet. Consider example of the National Institute of Health (NIH), most of the members of its governing body are in the United States and Canada,” Dawn News quoted Patel as saying.

He said a forced golden handshake was given to employees of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), but new people were appointed with big salaries.

“We are going to investigate the number of people who have been granted medical licenses despite not having degrees. The Medical and Dentistry School Admissions Test (MDCAT) contract has been awarded to a company that was not registered. We can refer all of these cases to an independent NAB.”

Maria J. Book