Selective Action, Rampant Fraud, Is the Health Department Complicit?
Guidelines Ignored, Funds Looted – Who Guards NHM in Poonch? Whistleblowers Allege Crores Siphoned Off in NHM Accounts
JJ Toseef R Ganai
Poonch: A disquieting revelation has surfaced in District Poonch regarding appointments under the National Health Mission (NHM) between 2007 and 2010. The operational directives of NHM had unambiguously stipulated a dual structure at the block level, a Block Accounts Manager drawn from a commerce background (B.Com/M.Com), and alongside, a Monitoring and Evaluation Officer with a BCA or MCA qualification to handle digital reporting and data management.
In principle, the architecture was simple: Commerce for accounts, IT for monitoring. Yet, in Poonch district, this sanctity of roles has been systematically violated. Astonishingly, individuals possessing only BCA degrees are occupying the highly sensitive posts of Block Accounts Managers, posts that were exclusively reserved for commerce graduates with proficiency in financial stewardship.
Earlier, after a sting exposure in the Daily Jammu Jotting, the Health Department cancelled a few suspicious transfers and even froze the post of Block Accounts Manager at Surankote, which too had been held by a BCA graduate. But the question that burns is: why was this rectification limited to Surankote alone? Why have the glaring irregularities in Block Mandi and Block Mendhar where BCAs continue to officiate as financial custodians been left untouched?
Whistleblowers now allege that this blatant deviation has paved the way for colossal financial embezzlement. Crores of rupees under NHM, earmarked for strengthening public health systems, are alleged to have been siphoned off through manipulated records and fabricated vouchers. By entrusting financial accountability to those without a commerce foundation, the department has virtually orchestrated a perfect breeding ground for fraud, favouritism, and fiscal anarchy.
Such selective and cosmetic corrective measures have ignited serious questions: Is the Health Department wilfully shielding the wrongdoers? If the NHM guidelines are crystal clear, how did these irregular appointments slip through official scrutiny? Were these not scrutinised at the district and state level before approval?
The moral and administrative culpability now lies squarely at the doorstep of NHM Mission Director, Mr. Baseer-ul-Haq. Will he uphold transparency by initiating a comprehensive purge, or will the matter be discreetly shelved under bureaucratic carpets? Furthermore, why have premier investigating agencies like CBI and Vigilance remained silent spectators in this scandal that reeks of systemic collusion?
The cardinal question remains, If NHM mandates commerce graduates for financial management, how are BCAs still running the accounts of entire health blocks in Poonch? Is this administrative ignorance, or a deliberately protected fraud masquerading as governance?
