Millions of zakat fund stolen by hospitals, report findings suggest

JHANG: Huge embezzlements in the zakat funds have come to known by the Zakat and Ushr Department’s report on Tuesday saying city hospitals were doled out massive funds in the name of medical procedures for charity, ARY News reported.

Using scammed medical reports and prescriptions, the hospitals have swindled the zakat funds from the department, the report claimed.

Millions were trickled from the funds originally designated for the poorest of the poor to reassure them of medicine.

The DHQ Jhang hospital was given Rs5.5 million in the name of charitable funds while THQ Shorkot hospital was funneled Rs700,000.

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For the six months of the ongoing financial year, the department has released Rs2,756,210 for the charity purpose which it said was designated for the poor and low-income class people for their medications.

However, with the connivance of Jhang’s Social Welfare Officer and an official of DHQ hospital, the misappropriation of funds was carried out, the report noted.