Pakistan Customs report on NIH

Pakistan customs,an important tax collection arm of FBR has prepared a 30-page report about Islamabad-based National Institute of Health,a research institute-cum-teaching hospital that it imported substandard and unregistered vaccines and syringes,hence putting the lives of the patients on risk just for selfish means,for its Expanded Immunisation Programme between July 2005 and 2009.It did not follow the required procedures and in the process evaded Rs882m in taxes. The report reveals that NIH was not granted a tax exemption certificate on the medical goods valued at some Rs3bn by Pakistan Customs, and got around this by presenting the goods as UN imports by Unicef-Pakistan. For the latter too the report has hard words, accusing it of behaving like a “trading house” and minting profits through “commercial transaction” that are not allowed under the law.The govt must take action and bring the culprits to justice that are playing with the lives of the people.