Saira Afzal Tarar assures full cooperation to NAB

Lahore : Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarar Wednesday assuring full cooperation to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), said the ministry had no any authorization to register medical and dental colleges.

Addressing a press conference, the minister said that it was totally unfortunate that the NAB’s executive board had included her name to examine the matter of registration of 12 medical and dental colleges despite fact that the ministry had only power just to notify any medical or dental college on the recommendation of PMDC.
“Me and my ministry will fully cooperate with the NAB to make it possible for the bureau to complete its inquiry on the matter as early as possible,” the minister said.

She said that like her leader former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, she too had presented herself for accountability. She requested the NAB to complete its inquiry in 15 days so that people might know about actual facts.

She said that NAB’s press release which was issued yesterday has badly damaged her political position in her constituency and allowed her opponents to raise questions on her credibility. However she added “I am satisfied as I did nothing wrong being Minister for Health.”

She said that all required documents will be provided to the NAB if required by it from the ministry. She said that strict actions had been taken against those who were involved in sale of substandard and spurious drugs besides improving the standard of medical and dental colleges.

She said that PMDC actually run the affairs of medical and dental colleges and responsible to hold inspections to check standard of existing and new medical and dental colleges.

She said that the committee which was constituted to run affairs of PMDC on the order of Chief Justice Supreme Court should take further steps to improve quality of medical education and closing down substandard medical and dental colleges.