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| May 20, 2002 | Monday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 7, 1423 |
Too many non-professionals on autonomous hospital BoGs
MULTAN, May 19: Most members of the board of governors (BOGs) for the three autonomous hospitals of the south Punjab are retired military officers, pro-government Muslim Leaguers and ‘influential’ people.
No senior doctor having considerable teaching experience has been included in any of BOGs constituted for the Nishtar Medical College and Hospital, Multan, Bahawal Victoria Hospital and its affiliated Quaid-i-Azam Medical College, Bahawalpur, and Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Rahim Yar Khan.
The health department had on Friday last notified the BOGs for four autonomous hospitals in the province.
The only qualified member of each BoG is the principal executive of the respective hospital. However, the board is empowered to dismiss him without assigning any reason.
The Nishtar Hospital and Medical College BoG comprises Brig Shaukat Usman (retired), Begum Farrukh Mukhtayar Sheikh, Khwaja Muhammad Farooq and Dr M. Javed Ahmed.
Brig Usman is the brother of Malik Haider Usman, the secretary-general of PML(J). He had been the chief executive of Multan Electricity Supply Company (Mepco).
Begum Farrukh was elected an MNA against a reserved seat for women in 1995. She is the mother of Multan City Tehsil Nazim Mian Faisal Mukhtayar Sheikh who is supporting PML-QA in Multan.
Khwaja Muhammad Farooq is said to be an officer-bearer of the Lions Club in Multan. Dr Javed is the managing director of the Holiday Inn hotel, Multan.
The chairman for the Nishtar Hospital and Medical College will be notified later.
Maj-Gen Muhammad Saleem Khan (retired) has been appointed chairman of the Bahawal Victoria Hospital and the Quaid-i-Azam Medical College BoG. He had been the principal of the Army Public School, Bahawalpur. He has been living in Bahawalpur to look after his farmland allotted to him after his retirement from the army.
Dr Balqees Nawaz Khan retired from army’s medical corps. She now runs her private clinic.
Chaudhry Masood Majeed is a flour miller and cotton ginner and said to be always in good books of the administrative officers posted at Bahawalpur. At present, he is a supporter of the PML-QA.
Chaudhry Muhammad Ameen is said to be a retired civil servant of the PCS cadre. Dr Rafi Qamar is a surgeon and runs his private hospital in Bahawalpur.
For the Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Rahim Yar Khan, the ‘uncrowned king’ of the district, Chaudhry Muhammad Muneer, has been appointed chairman of its BoG.
He is said to be the in charge of the affairs of a UAE ruler in Rahim Yar Khan whenever his excellency comes to the area for hunting. His construction company is awarded almost all UAE-funded contracts in Pakistan.
Chaudhry Muneer enjoys very cordial relations with Punjab Health Minister Dr Mahmood Chaudhry. It is said that Chaudhry Muneer introduced Dr Chaudhry to the UAE rulers.
It is Mr Muneer who prevailed upon Punjab Health authorities and former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif to get the SZH listed among autonomous hospitals although it is smaller in size and has no teaching facility.
The hospital was also built by his firm in more than a decade. The standards of its construction, according to locals, are very poor. When a former MS refused to take charge of the SZH extension some four years ago on the grounds of its ‘faulty’ construction, Mr Muneer got him transferred.
Dr Makhdoom Muhammad Husain belongs to the Makhdooms of Moi Mubarik village of the district and is appointed as member of the Sheikh Zayed hospital’s BOG. Among others Chaudhry Abdul Rasheed is a retired officer of Allied Bank, Capt Dr Niaz Ahmed Siddiqui (retired) runs a private clinic while the fourth non-official member Chaudhry Basheer Ahmed is said to be a close aide of both Chaudhry Muneer and Dr Mahmood Chaudhry.
When contacted, PMA’s Multan secretary-general Dr Shahid Rao criticized the constitution of the BOGs.
He expressed surprise over the induction of too many non-professionals on the boards meant to run big hospitals of the province.
He claimed that during a meeting with PMA delegation, the Punjab governor had promised to induct two senior professors of the medical institutions in the BOGs.
He also criticized the government for making the south Punjab a ‘guinea pig’ for its reforms in health sector.
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