ABBOTTABAD: The board of governors of Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad, has decided to abolish fee of medical tests for indoor patients from June 1.

Talking to Dawn, Prof Dr Saleem Afzal, medical director of the hospital, said that the decision was taken so that the poor patients could avail of this facility. The tests include CT scan, MRI, ultrasound, all lab investigations like typhoid, hepatitis ‘B’ & ‘C’, etc.

The medical director said that echo and ECG charges were also being withdrawn for the admitted patients. He said that the psychiatry department would also abolish psychotherapy charges for both indoor and outdoor patients.

He said that the usage charges for all poor patients in the outpatient department had also been withdrawn for which proper protocol would be followed by the doctors. He said that the senior registrar and the head of respective department would approve the proposals in all cases.

Tests also include CT scan and MRI

DELAY IN INCENTIVES: A spokesman for the Peoples Doctors Forum, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Dr Daud Iqbal has drawn the attention of provincial government to the delay of incentives and salary package for the doctors of teaching hospitals under the Medical Teaching Institutes (MTI) Reforms Act 2015.

In a statement after the PDF cabinet meeting here on Sunday, Dr Iqbal said that though MTI law had been implemented in teaching hospitals, including Ayub Teaching Hospital, the incentives, including salary package announced for doctors, were still awaited.

He condemned the termination of Dr Amjad Dawar, medical officer at ATH, and alleged that his services were terminated unlawfully without giving him any show cause notice.

He demanded reinstatement of Dr Dawar and asked the senior management of the hospital to hold an inquiry through a committee headed by senior doctors.

The spokesman said that the management cadre in health sector was badly affected after the MTI law implementation as 11posts of this cadre in four teaching hospitals were abolished.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2016