KP Health Deptt notifies apolitical management councils
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department on Thursday finally notified the names of members of the Institutional Management Council (IMCs) for the four tertiary care hospitals.
These public hospitals were functioning without IMCs for the past seven months. In some of the hospitals, the concerned administrators were criticised for not following merit, particularly in purchase and recruitment.
Health Minister Shaukat Yousafzai had selected different people as IMC members three months ago and sent the summary to Chief Minister Pervez Khattak. It took several weeks for the chief minister to approve the summary as there were reports that he and the health minister were under pressure from PTI lawmakers who wanted to be appointed members of the management councils.
Senior officials of the Health Department, however, did not agree with this assumption, saying the chief minister signed the summary quickly but red-tape caused the delay. Also, they said the health minister added more names to the list when the summary was almost prepared and delayed the notification.
According to the notification, known pediatrician and MPA Prof Dr Mehr Taj Roghani, former IGFC Major General (retd) Tajul Haq, former Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Mian Mohamamd Ajmal and journalist Iqbal Khattak would be IMC members for the Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH).
Industrialist Mohsin Aziz, senior journalist Rahimullah Yusufzai, former seretary health Saleem Jhagra, retired chief secretary Rustam Shah Mohmand and Dr Nazimuddin,were nominated as IMC members for the biggest and oldest hospital of the province, Lady Reading Hospital (LRH).
For the Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC), the health department nominated Prof Dr Rafiullah, Dr Nadeem Alam, Sahibzada Mohammad Khalid, Shahid Hayat, and senior journalist Ismail Khan.
Justice (retd) Sardar Raza Mohammad Khan, Col (retd) Mustafa Jadoon, journalist Rashid Javed and Riaz Bagarmand were nominated as IMC members for Ayub Teaching Hospital (ATH) in Abbottabad.
After granting administrative and financial powers to the public sector autonomous health institutions in 2001 under the Autonomy Act and later through Autonomy Ordinance in 2002, the government established IMCs for transparent procurement of medicines and medical equipment and for ensuring merit-based recruitment and promotions.
The previous governments used to nominate their lawmakers as members of the IMCs. Most IMC members in the past served their personal interest, got jobs for their people and secured free treatment for their family members, relatives and friends in these hospitals.
All non-official members of the previous IMCs were mostly lawmakers of the ANP and PPP and their close family members.
Besides non-official members, the IMC of each hospital comprises several official members including the chief executive, medical superintendent, deputy secretary health, deputy secretary finance and deputy secretary establishment department.
This correspondent made attempts to approach Health Minister Shaukat Yousafzai but he could not be reached. According to health department officials, he had gone to Bangkok along with Dr Shiraz Afridi to attend a seminar.
Pleading anonymity, a senior official of the health department, said Dr Shiraz Afridi, director Accident and Emergency Department (A&ED) LRH, to avoid his hearing at the Peshawar High Court (PHC) regarding his termination order, reportedly arranged the trip for the health minister to Bangkok and went along with him.
KP Health Deptt notifies apolitical management councils - thenews.com.pk