KARACHI: Serious questions have emerged regarding the conduct of the District Health Officer (DHO) South Karachi after contradictory official letters revealed violations of service rules, cadre misuse, and alleged favouritism in staff deployment for the 35th National Games 2025.
According to documents, the DHO South issued an explanation letter on December 8 to several low-performing vaccinators, including Babar, for poor vaccination coverage and non-compliance with outreach plans during November. The letter categorised their performance as unsatisfactory and warned them of action under E&D Rules 1973.
However, in a surprising move, the same vaccinator—Babar—was simultaneously assigned duties as a “Dispenser” for medical arrangements at the National Games. The deployment schedule issued by the DHO South lists him among dispensers posted at various sporting venues between December 6 and 13, despite the fact that Babar is a COVID vaccinator, not a dispenser.
Officials familiar with district health protocols say this constitutes a clear violation of cadre rules, as vaccinators cannot be redesignated or deputed as paramedics without proper authority, training, or qualification. The contradictory treatment—penalising the vaccinator for poor performance while rewarding him with premium duty—has intensified concerns about internal favouritism, nepotism, and misuse of administrative power within the district health office.
The inconsistency has raised further questions about how an officer declared low-performing for essential immunisation work was deemed suitable for frontline medical duty in a national-level sports event. Health staff allege that such arbitrary decisions compromise transparency, service discipline, and public trust in the system.
Senior health authorities have yet to comment on the matter, but officials say the issue warrants an immediate inquiry to determine whether rules were bypassed, disciplinary actions were selectively applied, and whether the DHO South misused his administrative authority for favoured staff.
The incident adds to recurring concerns over management flaws within district health operations, where weak oversight, personal influence, and cadre violations continue to undermine routine immunisation performance and emergency health deployments in Karachi’s most sensitive districts.
This scribe contacted DHO South Dr. Obaid Shaikh on WhatsApp but he didn't respond.
