Sindh PAC orders salary recovery from 27 dismissed Dow University employees

What happened

During a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Sindh Assembly on Tuesday, it was revealed that 27 employees of Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) were found to have fake educational degrees [1, 2, 3]. The issue emerged while the committee, chaired by Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, was reviewing audit paragraphs for the years 2024 and 2025 [1, 2, 3]. The audit questioned the university administration’s failure to verify employee credentials and its lack of satisfactory responses regarding the matter [1, 3].

Following the discovery, the PAC ordered the recovery of all salaries paid to the 27 dismissed employees [1, 2, 3]. Additionally, the committee requested reports from all public-sector universities in Sindh regarding the verification of academic and non-academic staff credentials [1, 2, 3].

Dow University Director of Finance, Zainul Abideen Shah, informed the committee that the university outsourced its degree verification process to a company named HRSG through a contract worth Rs7.36 million [1, 2, 3]. Out of the university’s 5,350 total employees, 1,945 have had their degrees verified so far, while the credentials of more than 3,400 employees remain pending with the Higher Education Commission (HEC) [1, 2, 3]. Vice Chancellor Dr. Nazli Hussain stated that over 70 per cent of degrees held by academic doctors have been verified, with the remaining 25 per cent currently being processed [1, 3].

Who is affected

The dismissal affects 27 employees whose roles included receptionists, clerical staff, computer operators, administrative officers, billing personnel, technicians, and nursing staff [1]. The allegedly fake qualifications identified included BCom, BA, BSc, MCom, matriculation certificates, nursing diplomas, and a master’s degree in computer science [1].

Regarding the university’s finances, Director of Finance Shah reported an annual budget of Rs26 billion, with approximately Rs25 billion generated annually through academic services, radiology, and laboratory services [1, 3]. Student fees contribute Rs4.5 billion to this annual income [1, 3]. The university offers more than 300 open-merit seats [3]. The fee structure includes:

• Open merit students: Rs60,000 per annum [3].
• Self-finance students: Rs500,000 per annum [3].
• International students: Between $10,000 and $18,000 annually, as prescribed by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council [1, 3].

The PAC meeting, attended by members Qasim Siraj Soomro and Makhdoom Fakhar Zaman, also addressed the condition of Dr. Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi, with the chairman expressing dissatisfaction over its state despite provincial government funding [3].