ABBOTTABAD: Staff of the Ayub Teaching Hospital on Tuesday observed a strike against the Health Reforms Act, 2015, as the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government again assured that the employees of medical and teaching institutions won’t be sent to surplus pool after the implementation of the law.

As a result of the strike the out-patient department, laboratories, operation theatres and radiology department remained closed. However, emergency services were available for the patients.

The All Health Employees Coordination Council (AHECC), an umbrella organisation of various associations of health employees, had given call for the strike.

Also in the day, Dr Nausherwan Burki, the architect of the Health Reforms Act, 2015, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, tried in vain to convince both the doctors and the support staff of the Ayub Medical College and Ayub Teaching Hospital about the ‘fruitfulness’ of the health reforms law, during separate meetings with them.

Dr Burki categorically denied creating any such surplus pool for civil servants from medical teaching institutions. He promised to discuss the matter with secretary health and claimed it was not the mandate of the Health Sector Reforms Unit (HSRU) to take such decisions. He said there was no provision for surplus pool in the Health Reforms Act, 2015.

In the meeting with doctors, Mr Burki faced strong criticism, with participants asking in which capacity he held meeting with doctors after formation of a separate board of governors for the institution. Interestingly, none of the BOG members of the Ayub Medical Institutions was present there.

Similarly, the doctors also rejected the institution-based practice, saying such a step had deprived the medical institutions of seasoned and experienced doctors.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2015

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