PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department has decided to hold in abeyance the appointment order of principal of Khyber Girls Medical College following objections by the Board of Governors (BoG), which says that it is its authority to take such decisions after the implementation of the Health Reforms Act, 2015.

Prof Iqbal Begum, a gynaecologist at Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC), was appointed principal of KGMC last week but the government decided to hold the order in abeyance after the BoG wrote a letter to secretary health, saying it wasn’t his domain to take the decision after enforcement of health reforms law.

“We ordered to reverse the decision as soon as we came to know about the BoG’s reservations,” Provincial Health Minister Shahram Tarakai told Dawn.

According to him, a summary has been moved which will be approved in a day or two as the government wants enforcement of the new law, which has been in place in four teaching hospitals to improve patients’ care.

BoG says under new law it is not domain of health secretary to make such decisions

He said that the order had been issued by health department a month ago. It was approved by the chief minister last week but it was realised then that it was the BoG’s authority to make appointments etc, the minister said.

He said that as no regulations were framed to enforce the new law in HMC and KGMC, therefore, they took the decision in public interests.

Mr Tarakai said that the new system was devised by the government to bring reforms initially in four teaching hospitals through BOGs. The government would make every move to benefit the people at the public health facilities, he added.

“We aren’t going to intervene in authority of the BoG, which is supposed to run the new system. It should call the shots at teaching hospitals. We are clear that there will no interference in BoG’s affairs,” said the minister.

He said that they were are also seeking law department’s opinion regarding the matter and wanted to make the operations of the MTI-covered hospitals smooth.

Following the appointment of Prof Iqbal Begum, who also held additional charge of principal/project director Gaju Khan Medical College, Swabi, the BoG reacted promptly by writing a letter wherein it made it clear that those posts would be filled through open competition. The BoG argued that the health department had no longer the authority to appoint a principal of a college that came under its purview, sources said.

The BoG members said that the appointment was in clear violation of the MTI and asked the government to revoke the order immediately, sources said.

According to sources, the HMC had framed regulations for MTI’s implementation on August 26 and wanted to recommend appointments and transfers in line with the law passed by the provincial assembly last year, which gave all powers to the 10-members BoG contrary to the past when those were done by health department.

“The health department has no powers after the law and therefore it is strongly recommended that appointment of KGMC principal be withdrawn in accordance with the law,” the letter said.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2015

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