Indus Hospital denies Global Fund allegations of misappropriation of funds

Dr. Abdul Bari Khan, the Chief Executive Officer at the Indus Hospital, mentioned that "the news reports published in the media are misleading, exaggerated and not based on facts", adding that "the Office of Inspector General (OIG) carries out audits to ensure compliance" on a regular basis.

Bari dispelled the notion of financial fraud by articulating that "certain procedures and related expenses" can change and adapt due to the "ground realities", and should not be interpreted as a fraud as they are justified in the OIG's regular audits and "duly approved by The Global Fund Pakistan country team".

The statement also highlighted that the reports being published in the media are "still in draft form, and yet to reflect the feedback of various stakeholders", including the Government of Pakistan.

The statement also mentioned that media reports stating that The Global Fund "has discontinued all its grants to the hospital" are untrue, as "the Indus Hospital continues to be the principal recipient of The Global Fund grants in Pakistan with an increase of scope (from 18 to 36 districts) and budget".

Bari concluded by stating that "the Indus Hospital has Zero tolerance policy towards fraud, waste and abuse", dispelling the accusations from the media.

Yesterday, The Global Fund, an international financing and partnership organization, claimed that Indus hospital had committed a $4.2 million procurement fraud from a grant that was meant to eradicate tuberculosis (TB).

A statement from the organization as reported by Arab News mentioned that "The Global Fund strongly condemns the acts of fraud committed by The Indus Hospital TB Program,” stating that it had cut off the Indus Hospital as of December 31, 2020, and was transferring activities to Mercy Corps and the National TB Program.